Siblings
by RoseCourt13
Summary: Prince Caspian's younger sister, Courtney, has family issues, like everyone else. She leaves the land of Telmar to escape her insane uncle. She comes across the Pevensie siblings upon their arrival to Narnia. Through carefully (and not so carefully) planned attacks, injuries, and maybe even deaths, Courtney will finally see what it is like to have a family. Edmund x OC
1. First Impressions

**I know, I know, I started another one. I know I shouldn't have, but I really wanted to write this. Takes place in the movieverse, starting with Prince Caspian.**

 **Character ages (edited):  
Peter: 17  
Susan: 16  
Edmund: 14  
Lucy: 12  
Caspian: 15  
Courtney: 13**

 _ **I don't own The Chronicles of Narnia, or anything but Courtney**_

* * *

Courtney reeled from the force of the strike as her uncle slapped her across the face. "You filthy gilr! For thriteen years I raised you and your bastard brother, and this is the thanks I get?!"

For Courtney, this was the last straw. After her parents had died, she had been left in the 'care' of her uncle Miraz. After twelve years of being borderline abused, she was done. She made an impulsive decision that changed her life. She pulled the dagger out of the folds of her dress and smashed its hilt into the forehead of her uncle.

He crumpled to the floor. She stared at him for several seconds, wondering if she made the right choice, then rushed out of the room before anyone could find him.

She knew she had to leave immediately. However, her escape could wait a few minutes. She hurried down the corridors to her room. She grabbed a bag, stuffed a pair of leggings and a tunic inside, and then, almost forgetting, snatched any food she could find. It wasn't much, but hopefully she could find more on her way.

On her way out, she slung her bow and quiver of arrows over her shoulder.

She made one more stop, her brother's room.

"Caspian!" She whisper-yelled in his ear, "Wake up!" She shook him gently.

"What is-" She put a finger to her lips.

"I'm leaving."

"Where? What? Why?" He wasn't able to form a proper sentence.

"The woods, escaping, because I have to." She tried to answer all his questions in one sentence.

"You can't leave!" Caspian protested.

"I have to. Goodbye." With those words, Caspian could do nothing but watch his sister, the only remnant of his parents, leave, not knowing if he would ever see her again.

Courtney's final stop was the stables. She quickly saddled her horse, Printemps, and rode off into the night.

* * *

"Doctor?" Prince Caspian the tenth asked upon waking up. Could it have all been a dream?

"Yes, my prince?" Doctor Cornelius answered.

"Have you seen Courtney?" He hoped it was a dream. That his sister was sleeping peacefully in her bed.

"You haven't heard?" His tutor asked, "Your sister has vanished into the night."

* * *

 **Three months later**

"I wonder who lived here," Lucy said, examining the ruins.

Susan spotted something in the grass, a golden chess piece. "I think we did."

The other three Pevensie children gather around her to get a look. "Hey," Edmund said, "That's mine. From my chess set."

"Which chess set?" Peter asked.

"Well," Edmund responded, "I didn't exactly have a solid gold chess set in Finchley, did I?"

Lucy looked over at one part of the ruins. "It can't be!" She ran over to it, her siblings following behind her. "Don't you see?"

"See what?" Peter asked.

"Picture walls," Lucy said, gesturing to the open space around them, "And columns, there," She pointed to a few different spots, "And a glass roof." She looked up at the sky above them.

"Cair Paravel." Peter concluded.

Something caught Edmund's eye on the side. "Catapults." He determined upon further investigation, "This didn't just happen, Cair Paravel was attacked."

"Ed?" Peter asked, getting his attention, "Look over here."

The stone wall that covered the wooden door to where they had stored their weapons was pushed away. "Someone's here." Edmund said, "Or at least, was here." He pulled out an electric torch from his satchel. "Shall we?"

* * *

Voices from above startled me. Then a cracking noise and a crash sounded from nearby. I _knew_ I shouldn't have made my refuge in the treasure room, pushing away the wall and leaving the door open to anyone. I drew my, or rather, King Edmund the Just's sword. I may have looted the room, but I only took the sword, as it was made of much finer material than mine, and fit me quite well.

I had let my horse loose, knowing that feeding both of us on a strange island would not work in our favor. I missed her company.

A bright, white light shined from the stairwell. I quickly crouched behind one of the chests, lying in wait.

A young man, maybe around my age, entered the cavern first. He was dressed in strange clothing and had a stick from which the light came from. If I was being honest, he was quite dashing. Three other young people, two girls and a boy, entered next, each with the same type of strange clothing.

None of them appeared to be armed, so I made my entrance. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" I questioned in my authoritative voice, sword out.

"We could ask you the same question!" The first boy exclaimed. "That's my sword!"

"Are you sure Ed?" The other boy asked.

"Yes. Did you steal it?" He asked me rudely, which was quite brave, seeing as I was the one holding the sword, not him.

"How can this be your sword?" I asked, deflecting the question of whether or not I stole it. "It was the sword of King Edmund the-" I trailed off and took a closer look at all of them. _Ed._ The other boy had called him Ed. Edmund. Which meant the others were, "No way." I denied. "You're them? The Kings and Queens of Narnia?"

"King Edmund the Just." The rude boy introduced. This had to be some elaborate joke.

"Queen Susan the Gentle." The older of the two girls said. This was not possible.

"Queen Lucy the Valiant." The other girl said.

"High King Peter, the Magnificent." His voice had the authority one would expect from a king, also the pompous introduction.

"Princess Courtney of Telmar." I introduced, still not convinced that they were who they said they were.

"A Telmarine?" 'King Edmund' asked. "Were you the one who destroy the castle?"

"Where have you been the last thirteen hundred years?" I questioned myself when the words came out. If they were really the kings and queens of old, then they had been gone for that time.

"You doubt us?"

"Yes." I said pretentiously. "How can you be the rulers of Narnia? And if you really are," My tone made sure that I highly doubted that, "Where have you been?"

"Do you have a sword of your own?" The one who claimed to be the High King asked.

"Of course." I put down King Edmund's sword and pulled out my own. "Are you challenging me?"

"No. He is." He pointed to the other boy.

"I accept. But it would be most logical to take this duel outside." The older boy and the older girl cast each other a knowing look, like an inside joke that only they caught.

"Of course." The younger boy said, picking up the sword I had placed down.

* * *

Outside, we found a big, open space for our duel. The older of the boys would serve as the referee. They had all claimed 'their' objects from the chest below. The girls stood on the side as spectators.

"You can back out now." The younger boy said. "I'm quite good with a sword." He held his sword confidently in his right hand, as I did.

"I would be disappointed if you weren't." I answered; I hadn't had a proper duel in months.

I made the first move by lunging forward and thrusting my sword, making sure that the sword would end inches from his body, just in case he didn't block or move.

He blocked it easily, like I expected, and returned with a slash to my right side. I didn't anticipate his reflexes and return strike, causing me to block late, and having the sword graze my right arm.

I swore some very unladylike curses as I ducked under his sword. The sword felt heavy in my hand, my arm throbbing. I swung my sword down; he raised his sword, stopping mine in its tracks. The tremors from the metal contact spread up my arm, causing the cut to burn. I quickly moved my sword to be ready for a counter-attack. When none immediately came, I switched hands, holding the sword in my left hand.

I smiled at his fleeting expression of surprise, before lunging. He blocked it easily and we fell into a rhythm, trying to find a weak link in each other's fighting style.

For a few minutes, the only sounds were the clanging of metal on metal. Finally, I saw my opportunity, a strike of a man who had little patience. I switched hands again and struck his fist with the hilt of my sword.

The sword fell from his hand. I put the blade of my own sword against his throat, declaring me the winner. After a few seconds, I lowered my sword. I picked his up off the ground and held it out to him, handle first.

"It is you." They had to be from the other world, judging by their clothes, his fighting style was Narnian, he was very familiar with the sword, and he was impatient, just as the old tales had said. "Thank you. I haven't had a proper duel in months."

"I haven't picked up a sword in over a year." He defended, probably embarrassed that he lost to a girl.

"Okay," I shrugged, "If that's the excuse you want to go for." I went over to where my bag was on the grass nearby. I searched through it, until I found my dagger. I cut a small strip of fabric from my tunic and wrapped it around my injured arm, rather badly, with one hand.

"Sorry about that." Edmund untied my failed attempt.

"My fault," I said as he retied my arm snugly, "The number one rule of a duel is to not underestimate you opponent."

"Are you ambidextrous?" He asked, tying off the bandage.

"Only in swordplay." I turned to see my arm as best I could, "Thanks."

"No problem"

"My handwriting with my left hand is atrocious."

"You're fantastic though!" King Edmund commented. "How did you learn that?"

"Thank you, King Edmund," I said formally, He waved away my use of the title, "Call me Edmund."

"Courtney." Not that he had ever used my title, but just in case. Plus, I didn't know what else to say.

"You're not bad yourself." I said. He scoffed, "As for how I learned, I was taught by one of the guards, and when became good enough, I constantly requested to duel the other soldiers, getting experience by fighting people with differing styles." He nodded, knowing the benefit of such a thing.

The girls, the queens, and the High King joined us. "That was quite the match," King Peter said. I had decided that for the other, I would use their title unless told otherwise because they were higher ranked than me. "It's not often someone gets the better of Edmund."

"What exactly are you doing here?" Susan asked, "I mean on Narnian soil."

"Susan!" Lucy exclaimed.

"It's fine." I said, "I'm escaping from my insane uncle." I told them the story, glossing over the exact reason I had left. I simply said that my uncle was going crazy, and tried to harm me. That was true enough.

"My brother might be in trouble." After I had finished telling them the story, I remembered something. When I had left, my aunt was at least seven months pregnant. She had most likely given birth. If the child was a boy, then Caspian was a good as dead. The only reason he wasn't dead yet was because Miraz had no successor of his own. But if he had a son, he had no use for Caspian. I quickly explained that to the Pevensie siblings.

"You don't know that the child was a boy." Susan said, trying to comfort me. Tears threatened to spill out of my eyes at the possibility that my brother was dead.

"But I don't know it wasn't." If Caspian got himself killed, I was going to kill him myself.

I looked out on the ocean. There was something there, a boat. "Do you see that?" The other four followed my gaze.

"Let's go." Peter said, running down the cliff side. The rest of us trailed behind him.

In the boat were two men in armor, Telmarine armor, I realized. "Telmarines." I informed the others.

The two men were carrying something, someone, tied up in ropes. They were poised to drop him in the ocean, when an arrow with a red fletching slammed into the side of the boat. I turned to see Susan fitting another arrow to her bow.

"Drop him!" Susan yelled.

The soldiers complied, dropping poor person. One of the men raised a crossbow. Susan let loose her arrow, hitting him. The other man jumped into the water.

I pulled off my sword and dove in the water. The salt water stung my eyes as I searched for the drowning man. The weight of my dagger threatened to pull me down, but I fought it. I found the man, grabbed his bound hands, and swam us both to the surface. Edmund and Peter pulled the boat to the beach.

I pulled out my dagger cut the man's bonds with it. He then pulled off the gag. "Drop him?" He asked. "Was that the best you could do?"

"A simple thank you would suffice." I said. He was quite rude, as we had just saved his life. I took a closer look at him, wiping the water out of my eyes. "You're a dwarf!"

He ignored me and turned to the others. "They were doing a fine job drowning me without your help."

I was getting a little irritated. "Look," I said, "We just saved your life. If you prefer, I could throw you back."

He finally acknowledged me, "You're the Telmarine princess, aren't you?"

"I am. What of it?"

"You look like your brother."

"What?" I asked, "You've seen my brother? He's alive? How is he?"

"Calm down," the dwarf said, "One question at a time. Yes, I've seen him, so yes, he's alive, and last I saw, he hit his head on a tree branch and blasted a horn." He turned to the other four, realization dawning on his face. "Are you the kings and queens of Narnia?"

"My horn?" Susan asked. She didn't find her horn in her chest in the underground cavern, so it was possible. But how could Caspian have gotten hold of it?

"Yes, Your Majesty." This dwarf was far more accepting of them than I was. Although, he had the knowledge that they were coming.

"Just call me Susan." Susan replied.

"So where is Caspian?" I asked.

The dwarf considered my question, probably wondering how much he trusted us, or more accurately, me. "We'll meet up with him halfway." He purposely didn't say where he was, but my guess was with other Narnians.

I sighed. It had taken a week on horseback to ride to the ruins; on foot would take much longer. "Looks like we have our work cut out for us." I said.

* * *

 **First chapter down! Put your thoughts down in the review section. Also looking for a chapter name.**


	2. Traveling

We took the boat from the Telmarines. The dwarf, Trumpkin, said that they were under Miraz's orders to throw him in the lake. Well, to kill him at least. That much I could believe; my uncle was definitely on the brink of insanity.

"They're so still." Lucy said, breaking the silence.

Trumpkin scoffed, "They're trees, what do you expect?"

"They used to dance."

"Not long after you left, the Telmarines invaded," He cast a glance to me. "Those who survived escaped to the forest, and the trees retreated so deep into themselves that no one has heard from them since."

I had heard stories of the trees moving, even dancing, from my tutor, but I never really believed it. "Did the trees actually dance?" I asked to no one in particular, a bit skeptically.

"Long ago." Edmund said, with a look of melancholy, not an emotion I would associate with him.

"I don't understand." Lucy said, "How could Aslan let this happen."

"Aslan?" I asked, "He was real?"

"Of course!" Lucy defended, "Where is he?"

"Thought he abandoned us when you did," Trumpkin said. The rest of the trip down the Glasswater was silent.

We finally reached the shore. I helped Trumpkin pull it up and tie the boat down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lucy wandering the shore. She saw a bear and walked up to it.

"It's alright," She said, "We're friends."

The bear noticed her, "Don't move, your majesty!" Trumpkin warned.

The bear headed towards her, gaining speed. Susan fitted an arrow to her bow. "Stay away from her!"

"Shoot, Susan!" Edmund encouraged. The bear was almost on top of Lucy, when a flash of metal hit the bear in the chest, causing it to fall backwards.

The Pevensies and Trumpkin looked around for the source of the projectile. "My aim is off," I said, "I was aiming for the heart." I tried to make it a joke, but even after being in a place where animals were hunted for food and sport, it still unsettled me. I walked over and pulled out my dagger, wiping it on the grass.

"Why didn't he stop?" Lucy asked.

"Narnia has changed since you were last here." I said.

"You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember." Trumpkin added, pulling out his knife to skin the bear. Lucy hid her head in Peter's chest.

I gathered a small pile of wood to make a fire and smoke the bear meat. I had only tasted bear once before, as bears were hard to kill. It wasn't my favorite, but it would do.

As I attempted to start a fire by striking together two rocks, Edmund pulled out a knife and helped the dwarf cut up the dead bear.

After a few minutes, I gave up trying to get a spark with rocks. Instead, I pulled out my newly cleaned dagger and used it to reflect the light from the sun to my fireplace. It started smoking after a few seconds, then caught fire soon after.

Once the meat was smoked, we quickly cleaned up our temporary campsite and began the hike to wherever the 'halfway point' was. Apparently, it was through the woods. I noticed Edmund lagging behind the group. I slowed my pace.

"Edmund?" I asked when he got close enough, "You okay?"

"Yes." He answered immediately. "No. I don't know."

"Am I supposed to pick one?" I asked, cautiously entering the joking area, waiting for his reaction.

To my relief, he smiled. It was a sad smile, one full of longing, but a smile nevertheless. "It's hard being here again. I love it, but it's so different. I spent years here before, thinking I knew all there was to know, only to be dropped back in my world, doomed to live a boring life. Then, when I least expect it, I get sent back, only it's been over a thousand years; everything I thought I knew is no longer true, and everyone I knew is dead."

Without thinking, I instinctively gave him a quick, tight hug. He went still for a second, then returned the hug. "Thanks." He said, "I needed that."

I smiled, but we made eye contact for just a little too long. We both looked away. "We should catch up to the others," I said, speed-walking away. We had been walking slowly while talking, and the others had almost gotten out of sight.

Luckily, we caught up quickly and no one even noticed that we were gone in the first place.

"I don't remember this way at all," Susan was saying as we rejoined the group.

"That's the problem with girls," Peter said, "They can't carry a map in their heads." I had to agree with him, the map in my head consisted of traveling in a straight line until you reached your destination. Unfortunately, my map was not very helpful in the situation.

"That's because our heads have something in them." Lucy retorted. I gave a slight giggle, as did Susan. Lucy smiled widely.

Susan's smile was gone quickly, "I wish he'd just listen to the DLF."

"DLF?" Edmund and I asked at the same time, exchanging a look. Did we miss something important?

Lucy's smile was contagious, "Dear Little Friend."

"That's not at all patronizing." Trumpkin, our resident wet blanket commented.

We arrived at a stone passage. "I'm not lost," Peter insisted.

"No," Trumpkin, or the DLF, said, "You're just going the wrong way."

"No offense Peter," I said, "But shouldn't Trumpkin be leading the way?"

" _Thank_ you." Trumpkin said, "At least someone agrees with me."

Peter glared at me, clearly saying that he was in charge. I met his eyes with a hard edge. I had spent my life around arrogant nobles; I was not in the mood to deal with another one.

"No," He insisted, "I know where we're going and I know how to get there." He stalked off. I glanced at Edmund, a question in my eyes, _is he always like this?_

Edmund shrugged and followed his brother. The rest of us fell in step behind them.

We continued walking until we reached a gorge. It was quite steep, over a hundred meters down. At the bottom, a rushing river flowed.

"Over hundreds of years, water eroded the earth's soil…" Susan started explaining.

"Oh, shut up." Peter said, irritated. "Is there a way down?"

"Yeah," Trumpkin said, "Falling. Come, there's a ford at Beruna." Peter grudgingly accepted that Trumpkin was the expert, and followed him, as the rest of us did.

"Aslan?" Lucy asked, "Aslan! It's Aslan! Can't you see him?" She glanced back at us. I looked back where she was pointing, across the gorge, but saw nothing. Maybe, just maybe, I saw the slight flash of gold, and possibly a bit of fur, but it was gone in an instant. "He's right…" She turned back, but saw nothing. "there."

"Do you see him now?" Trumpkin asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"I'm not crazy," Lucy claimed, "I know what I saw. He wanted us to follow him." She made eye contact with each of us in turn, "Did _none_ of you see him?"

"There could be any number of lions in this wood." Peter said gently.

"I think I know Aslan when I see him." Her eyes met mine, but I quickly looked down. "Courtney? Did you see him?"

All eyes turned to me. Despite being a royal all my life, I was still uncomfortable in the spotlight. "I don't know." I said, eyes still downcast, "I saw something, just for an instant. A flash of gold, maybe a patch of fur." I sighed, "I just don't know."

"I'm not jumping off a cliff for someone that doesn't exist!" The dwarf exclaimed.

"I don't know," Edmund said, "The last time I didn't believe Lucy, I looked pretty stupid." Lucy sent him a thankful glance.

"Susan?" Peter asked. "What do you say?"

"I haven't see him," She said, "And we've been here almost a day. Sorry Lu, but I think we should stay on our current path and meet up with other Narnians."

Again, Trumpkin and Peter walked off, leaving the rest of us to make up our minds. "Sorry Queen Lucy," I said, "But I think we have to keep going."

Lucy's sad expression matched the one I had seen on Edmund's face not long before, "I understand; you don't believe me either. But just call me Lucy." She followed the others.

When we finally got close to Beruna, there was much more noise than any of us were expecting. As we saw the ford, we found the source of the noise; dozens of Telmarines working on a bridge. We crouched behind a pile of wood near the forest.

"Maybe this wasn't the best way to come after all." Susan said. We all ducked as a band of soldiers on horses walked near our hiding spot.

"Lord Sopespian," I whispered, "And General Glozelle." That was bad news. Both of them were high-ranking in my uncle's army. If they were checking on the bridge themselves, it was not good for us. "We have to get across that river."

Seeing no other option, we retreated to the gorge. "Where do you think you saw Aslan?" Peter asked Lucy when we got there.

"I wish you'd all stop acting like grown-ups. I don't think I saw him, I did see him." Lucy complained.

"I am a grown-up." Trumpkin muttered.

"It was right around…" The ground collapsed under her feet and she screamed. She landed only a few feet below where she was standing. "…here."

"Do you guys see that?" I pointed down. On the side of the cliff, there was a narrow pathway that steeply ran down to the river.

We carefully made our way down, one at a time. Trumpkin went first, then Lucy, Susan, me, Edmund, and Peter bringing up the rear.

I looked down at the angry river below. It was so beautiful, but so vicious at the same time. A stray pebble rolled under my feet, causing me to slip. _That would be a sad way to die_ , I thought. Right before I fell off the edge, a hand grabbed mine, fighting against gravity.

Above my head, my savior's face was etched in worry. Edmund. I put my feet on the side of the cliff to decrease the amount of weight that Edmund had to pull. He successfully pulled me to my feet. "Thanks." I said simply. He nodded and we kept going.

We reached the bottom without any other incidents. As the sun starting going down, we headed to another forest to set up camp. This time I successfully started a fire by striking the rocks together.

Our camp was silent aside from the occasional question about something. After some time, when I thought everyone else was asleep, I whispered, "Lucy! You awake?"

"Yes?"

I asked her a question that had been weighing down on my mind for hours, "Why did I see Aslan, even just a little of him, when your siblings saw nothing? They've seen him before, but I haven't."

She rolled to face me, "I don't know. Maybe they didn't really want to see him."

Lucy fell asleep soon after that, but her answer kept me up for hours. When I finally fell asleep, it was a fitful, light sleep.

I woke at first light. Lucy and Peter were missing. How was I supposed to find them in the vast woods? I heard a small growl coming from my left. It was my best bet.

As I got closer to the source of the growl, I heard the clashing of metal. I ran to find the source.

In a clearing, two young men were fighting. I recognized Peter's blond hair. I picked up a rock and threw it, hoping my aim was good enough. It hit both swords, causing the owners of both to look at me.

"Courtney?" The other one asked.

"Caspian!"

* * *

 **We got to Caspian here! Leave your questions/thoughts in the reviews! Any ideas for a chapter name?**


	3. Caspian

**Sorry for not updating for a while, but I just got back from spring break. Hopefully updates will be more often. Would love to hear feedback from you guys!**

* * *

" _You're_ Prince Caspian?" Peter asked in disbelief. I barely heard him as I ran into my brother's arms. Thankfully, he had put his sword down before I barreled into him.

"I thought you were dead!" Caspian and I both yelled after we separated from a bone-crushing hug. We both laughed. From behind me, I heard Edmund give a slight snort. I turned around and stuck out my tongue at him.

"Not very ladylike," He scolded me, sticking out his tongue at me.

"So," Peter said, interrupting our nonsense, "You called us here?" He asked, addressing my brother.

Caspian spun on his heel to face him, "Yes," He started, "You're younger than I expected."

"We can leave," Peter offered, obviously insincerely, "And come back in a few years."

"Okay," I interceded, "You two have finally met each other." I looked both of them in the eyes, "We have bigger problems then your ego." This time, I pointedly glanced at Peter.

I heard someone clearing their throat near me, "We have waited anxiously for your return, my liege," The voice came from the ground, a mouse, who was addressing Peter with his words; "Our hearts and swords are at your service."

I wasn't very surprised that a mouse was talking. If I had heard him talking two days before, I probably would have stomped on him accidently, or at least screamed. As it was, I was able to calmly bend down and say, "Hullo dear mouse, what brings you here on this fine day?" I cringed at myself. I felt like I had regurgitated a bad romance novel.

Caspian smiled at the mouse, "Don't mind her, she's _special_." I reached over and slapped my idiot brother lightly on the arm, but I couldn't stop a smile from taking over my face. It was nice to be back to normal, with the jokes and insults, after being separated for months. "This is Reepicheep," he continued, gesturing to the mouse, "And this," He pointed to me, "Is my younger sister, Courtney."

The mouse, Reepicheep, looked a little confused, but bowed to me, "Your highness."

I waved away the title, "Just Courtney." I viewed the growing crowd of creatures that most of the Telmarines didn't believe existed. "What's the plan?"

* * *

Peter and Caspian were arguing again, something about north or south. That was the problem when you put two high-ranking teenage boys together, it would always end in a fight. This plan had better be spectacular considering all the arguing.

"It gets old, doesn't it?" Edmund sat down beside me, pulling me from my thoughts.

I sighed, "I've been quite tempted to walk over and slam their heads together; this is taking forever."

He snickered, "Maybe you should." His gaze fell on the two arguers. He turned serious. "If you don't, I might. They're supposed to be the authority figures, not the clashing schoolboys."

"I really hope they come up with a good plan, and fast." The daylight was quickly leaving us behind, and one of the only parts of the plan that had been decided was that it would take place at midnight.

* * *

An hour before the appointed time, we reviewed the plan. We needed enough weapons for hundreds of soldiers, so the best way to get them was to raid my uncle's army. We would take 100 men, and send them in twos or threes in different points around the enemy's camp.

The only problem with the plan was me. I was arguing with the others to let me join the raid. It had been decided that Lucy would definitely stay behind with the others, and Susan would go in only if absolutely necessary. But I wanted to have an active part. Peter and Caspian wanted me to stay behind, I obviously wanted to go, and Edmund was, so far neutral.

"You're not going, and that's final!" Caspian shouted.

"Why not?" I retorted, "I have the same knowledge as you, and I was privy to more of the interactions of the army!

"But you're-" He cut himself off.

"What?" I demanded, "A girl? Is that what this is all about? Just because I'm a girl, I can't do anything?" I scoffed. "Of course that's why you don't want me going. I'm just a little girl who can't protect herself."

"That's not what I meant!" Caspian said. "I just don't want to lose you!" He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Fine." He surrendered, "You can go. But," He cut off look of triumph, "You must stay with one of us." He gestured to himself, Peter, and Edmund.

I frowned, but said, "Okay." It was the best offer I was going to get. Edmund made eye contact with me and nodded, volunteering to go with me. I nodded back, at the moment; I was not in the mood to spend my night with either of the other two.

* * *

As planned, we surrounded the camp. I was put on the south side with Edmund. At twelve o'clock on the dot, we heard the signal, a bird call. Maybe a little cliché, but effective nevertheless.

All teams creeped closer to the unsuspecting army. I caught Edmund's attention and pointed to a wooden carriage near us. He nodded back, showing he saw it.

As we got closer, a shout was heard. "Damnit," I whispered. We had been discovered. Edmund rushed to the source noise, to silence it. I quickly made my way to the front of the carriage, only to walk into a guard. Without thinking, I drew my sword and thrusted it at him. He was barely able to block my strike. He countered with a horizontal slash that would have separated my head from my shoulders, had I not ducked. Instinctively, I lunged, sword out, aiming towards his stomach. The strike had all my weight behind it. The sword went through his armor and his belly, tip pointing out on the other end.

I pulled my sword from his still body. I had killed him. I went numb, falling to my knees. I had taken the life of another. That man probably had a wife and kids, and they be waiting for him to come home, only to find out that he never would. I had taken that from them. I didn't know how long I stayed there, without thinking or feeling.

"Get up!" A voice whispered in my ear. I was brought back to the present by Edmund. "Time to go!" He pulled up my arms, bringing me to my feet. "You okay?" He asked.

"Later." I said. Once I had time to process what had happened and what I did. Once we were out of harm's way, I would find a way to talk to him, and the others.

* * *

"You okay, Courtney?" Caspian asked me once we got back to our spot in the woods. They had secured enough weapons for our entire army, which, granted, wasn't overly large. The royalty; my brother, the Pevensie siblings, and I were having a meeting. We were sitting in a circle, Caspian to my right, then Peter to his right, then Susan, Lucy, and Edmund to my left.

From the time when Edmund found me, until the meeting, I had not said a single word. That wasn't like me; I loved talking.

"I don't know." I said softly. I pulled out my sword and stared at it. If I looked really closely, I could see a hint of crimson, the blood of the man I had killed. Maybe my brain was just playing tricks on me, serving as a remaindered of the person whose life I had taken. "Caspian," I said, my voice breaking, "I killed someone."

He said nothing, and instead moved closer to me and embraced me tightly. I was taken back to when I was a three-year-old.

.

" _Where did Nanny go?" I asked my older brother. "How long will she be gone?"_

" _I'm sorry, Court," Caspian said, ruffling my hair, "She won't be coming back."_

 _I cried for an hour, and the whole time, my beloved brother hugged me and stayed with me the entire time. After that night, my brother had changed. Since then, I hadn't seen that side of him._

* * *

 **Sorry for the short chapter and bad ending, but to me it seemed to be the best place to stop.**


	4. Understanding

**Yay! Another chapter! Don't worry, I'm not dead (yet).**

* * *

"We should move." I said. We had gotten back to the camp at three in the morning, and a few hours of sleep had helped me recover slightly from the previous night. We had been in one place too long, it wasn't safe.

"Time to go." Peter announced to the camp when almost everyone was awake.

"Aslan's How is waiting for us." Caspian declared. After the raid, he was warming up to the Pevensies, mainly Peter, to whom he was much less hostile towards. 'Less hostile' didn't equal 'friendly' however.

We packed up our few supplies and followed them into the woods.

"So," Trufflehunter asked Trumpkin from behind me, "What are they like?"

"Complainers." Trumpkin said, "Stubborn as mules in the morning."

"So you like 'em?" Nikabrik asked.

"Well enough." Trumpkin answered. I couldn't help but crack a smile and give a slight laugh at the whole exchange.

"What was that about?" Edmund asked. In the few days I had known them, Edmund and I had gotten quite close.

I just laughed again, a real laugh this time.

* * *

As it turned out, Aslan's How was not as far as I had thought it was. Around midday, after a few hours walk, we spotted it in the distance.

Edmund, who had gotten a few paces ahead of me, stopped suddenly. I nearly walked into his back. "What is it?" I asked.

"We've been away for so long." He answered. I understood what he meant. Aslan's How was a humongous fortress that appeared ancient, though the construction for it had not even been imagined when he was ruling Narnia a thousand years ago.

I grasped his hand and gave it a quick squeeze, reminding him that I was there for him. We had fallen a bit behind the rest of our group, which seemed to be becoming a habit.

When we caught up, Lucy spun around. Lucy grinned at us and gave a knowing look. I looked down and saw that I still held Edmund's hand. I quickly let go. I'm pretty sure I was blushing. I sped up to talk with Lucy. "What was that?" I asked.

"Nothing." Lucy said. "I was just wondering if I'm going to get an invitation to your wedding."

I coughed loudly, surprise. " _Excuse_ me?" I checked behind me to make sure that Edmund wasn't within earshot. " _What_?"

"Funny how you knew exactly who I was talking about." Lucy said.

Even though she was a queen once, she was still a child at heart. "Because of that," I said, going along with her, "You won't get an invitation." Lucy just smiled at me.

* * *

There was a stone walkway going down into the How. On either side of stone path were centaurs, all along the way. Each of them had his sword pointed up above our heads. Lucy and I couldn't help but smile at a young centaur that had his sword tilted too low, prompting his father, or at least the centaur next to him, to correct the angle.

"It may not be what you are used to," Caspian said as we entered the fortress, "But it is defendable."

"Peter," Susan said, getting her older brother's attention. "You may want to see this." That got the attention of all of us. I felt like an outsider. We all stood by Susan, but I stayed a little behind the Pevensie children. This place was for them to see; I didn't belong there.

On the wall were carvings of kings and queens, the kings and queens that stood before me, just thirteen hundred years prior. I turned to leave, but a hand slipped in mine, urging me to stay. Edmund gave me a small smile, one that I returned.

"It's us." Susan said, a bit unnecessarily.

"What is this place?" Peter asked, turning to Caspian, who, like I had planned, stood just outside the Pevensie's circle.

"You don't know?" Caspian asked, grabbing a nearby torch mounted on the wall.

With Caspian in the lead, we walked down a dark tunnel, barely illuminated from the light of the torch. At the end of the tunnel, he tilted the torch down, lighting up fires that revealed a giant room. On the walls to either side were more carvings of the set of siblings. But in front of us, was a majestic carving of a lion, Aslan himself.

In the center of the room was a huge block of stone, cracked in half. The Stone Table of old, thought to be a myth.

Lucy wandered over to the table. Edmund detached his hand from mine to join her. "He must have known what he was doing." Lucy said.

"I guess it's up to us now." Susan agreed. We all looked to the great lion carving.

* * *

A fawn standing on the outside of the fortress stood guard. A flash of movement caught his eye. He squinted, trying to get a good look through the fog. He saw a man in Telmarine armor on horseback riding away into the forest.

* * *

"It's only a matter of time. Miraz and his war machines are already on their way. That means that those same men won't be defending the castle." Peter said. It had been a few hours since they had discovered that the How was built around the Stone Table.

"What do you propose we do, Sire?" Reepicheep asked.

"We-" Caspian said at the same time Peter said, "Our-" Peter gave Caspian a sharp look, and he conceded.

"Our only hope is to strike them before they strike us." Peter said.

"That's crazy!" Caspian interjected. "No one has ever taken the castle before."

"There's always a first time." Peter said calmly.

"We'll have the element of surprise." Trumpkin added.

"We have the advantage here." Caspian argued.

"If we dig in," Susan said, "We could hold them off indefinitely."

Edmund and I had a moment of being on complete sync. At the same time, we both shouted, "Enough!" We shared a look, and Edmund continued speaking. "This isn't going to help." He told the assembly. "If we start arguing about this, we'll be divided. Then the Telmarines won't have to fight us, we'll destroy each other." He may have been taking it to the extreme, but if we allowed this to continue, that's what would eventually happen.

"Can you get your troops in?" Peter asked a centaur, who appeared to be the centaur's leader. The goodwill that Caspian and Peter had built up disappeared, but Caspian had to defer to the High King.

The centaur nodded, "Or die trying, my liege."

"That's what I'm worried about." Lucy said, adding her input for the first time during the meeting.

"Sorry?" Peter asked.

"You are all talking like there are only two options: die here, or die there."

Peter frowned, "I'm not sure you've been listening, Lu."

"No," Lucy responded, "You're not listening. Or have you forgotten who really defeated the White Witch?"

"I think we've waited for Aslan long enough."

* * *

The plans were set, now we were playing the waiting game. We had to wait until nightfall for the plan to work. I was sitting near the Stone Table when someone sat down beside me.

"You okay?" Edmund asked.

"I don't know." I sighed. "This seems so real now. We're – well, _you're_ – expected to lead an army. They look to you for help and instructions. We're about to take part in a war, but in the end, we're just kids." I paused to think about my words, "I know that you weren't always a kid, but you are now. I've just been shoved into this world. I didn't ask for this!"

As I went on, I realized that this wasn't meant for Edmund. These were my thoughts that I had held back all my life, finally coming to the surface. It wasn't fair to drop them all on Edmund, "Sorry." I said, "I didn't mean to just put this on you."

Instead of answering straightaway, he pulled me into his chest, providing me with the support I had lacked my whole life. Even Caspian didn't fully support me, not in the way I needed him to. "I'm here for you." He said. "I understand." That was it. That was what I had been searching for, someone who understood me.

"Thanks Edmund." I said, "I really needed that."

"I'm here for you." He repeated. I had finally found a family, somewhere I belonged, with people that wanted me.

* * *

 **Lucy's part was fun to write. Kind of OOC, but I think it was pretty funny.**

 **What Hogwarts house do you guys think Courtney would be in? As her creator, I know which one I would put her in, but, as the reader, where would you sort her? Tell me in the reviews!**

 **I would put Edmund, Peter, and Caspian in Gryffindor, Lucy I would put in Hufflepuff, and Susan I don't know.**

 **I think this story will have between 10-15 chapters. The canon story is around halfway finished, but I'm going to have an epilogue or two.**


	5. The Raid

**I am so sorry! I promise to update every week now! Almost every week at least.**

* * *

"I really hope this works," I muttered to Edmund as we prepared for the raid. "If we get killed, I'll be vexed."

Edmund gave me an encouraging smile, seeing that my comment sprung from my nervousness. "You'll be fine." He said with confidence.

"I really hope so."

* * *

After searching the camp, I found and hugged my unsuspecting victim from behind. "Courtney?" Caspian guessed. "Why?"

That was Caspian, not one to waste words. "This might not work." I had changed from my nervous joking mood with Edmund to completely serious.

"Court," Caspian hadn't called me by my nickname in years, "We'll make it through-"

"Don't treat me like that," I said, cutting him off, "I'm not a child, I know what's at stake."

"I know you do," Caspian said, finally turning around to face me. "But you used to be so full of hope. What happened to that carefree girl?"

"She grew up." I said bluntly. "She realized what sort of hell the world was coming to and she finally opened her eyes to see everything."

"I'm sorry you have to be here during this time." Caspian hugged me tightly.

I smiled humorlessly, "Everyone is here for a reason. I just hope that I can fulfill my purpose and not lose everyone I love on the way."

* * *

A few hours later, from my concealed hiding spot in the woods, I had a clear view of a griffin flying towards the castle I had once called home, carrying the closest of my new friends. Only those who knew what was there would be able to see them. One thing I had learned was that people see what they want to see.

The griffin and his rider landed on the very top one of the numerous towers of the castle. Hearing them land, a guard underneath the cover looked up to find the source of the noise he had heard. He saw nothing, as Edmund and the griffin were hidden in the darkness. The guard looked back down, dismissing the sound.

The griffin grabbed the credulous guard and threw him off the tower. Edmund took his place and pulled out the electric torch he had brought with him from England. He turned the light on and off, signaling me, Peter, Caspian, and Susan. We mounted our griffins and let them fly us to the castle.

We all flew in different directions. I followed Peter and Caspian to the lower part of the castle. On the way, Caspian slashed at a soldier. I looked back to see what had happened to him, but it was dark and the griffins were flying rather swiftly.

We landed on the roof of one of the lower towers. Peter killed a man as we raced down the halls. The sight of him lying lifeless on the ground beneath my feet made me fight the urge to throw up. I quickly stepped over him and followed my older friends.

Caspian stopped at a window. As I peered through it, I recognized it to be an entrance to Professor Cornelius's study.

Caspian knocked on the door, "Professor?" He whispered.

"That's not going to work!" I whispered back aggressively. I reached around him and pulled the window open. I climbed into the study. Caspian followed me, but Peter as a bit more reluctant. "Come on!"

Peter sighed and followed us. "Look!" Caspian said, still keeping his voice at a low volume. He pointed to a round pair of glasses, a familiar pair I had seen many times.

"We have to find him." Caspian said resolutely.

"You don't have time." Peter said, "You have to get to the gatehouse."

"You wouldn't be here without him." I interrupted. "And neither would we."

Peter contemplated this for a few moments. "Fine." He agreed grudgingly, "I'll take care of Miraz."

"And we can still make it to the gatehouse on time." Caspian ran out of the room, with me on his heels.

* * *

We made our way through the castle to the guardhouse, hiding from the guards we could, killing those we couldn't. Or, more accurately, _Caspian_ killed the guards. As much as it terrified me, I had gotten used to the amount of death that occurred during war. I was by no means okay with it, but I understood that it was necessary.

We finally arrived at the dungeon. There were no guards in sight. Caspian hurried down the corridor, checking the cells very briefly. I took my time, and made sure that we didn't miss our professor. The first few cells were empty. The fourth one in had a man with long black hair and a scraggly beard. As I passed, the man jumped up and gripped the cell bars, a crazed look in his eyes. I stumbled back, away from him.

"I know what you fear." He said in a sing-song voice that scared me even more. "You cannot escape it."

"Shut up." I said, "I make my destiny."

He gave me a toothless smile. "You know what is coming. "You can't run forever."

"I can try." I retorted. I ran away from the insane man to my brother, who was facing a cell.

"Doctor Cornelius?" I asked as I got closer.

"Where were you?" Caspian asked. I got close enough to see my ex-teacher in the cell.

 _Later._ I mouthed. I cleared my throat. "We're going to get you out of there." I said to the Doctor. There was a thick lock on the bars, one that would take ages to cut through. I drew my dagger and inserted the tip into the lock. I twisted it a few times in different directions, and the lock popped open.

"Aren't you glad you have me?" I asked. A few years ago, I had gotten bored one day. I made it my mission to figure out how to pick a lock. Over the course of a week, I got one lock opened. From then on, I occasionally picked locks, just to keep my skills sharp. You never know when they might come in handy.

"Be cautious," Doctor Cornelius advised us as he climbed out of his prison. "Do not underestimate Miraz like your father did."

I nodded solemnly, while Caspian just looked confused. I had been harboring suspicions for years that our father's death was not an accident. When I thought about whom would most benefit from the death of the king, the most obvious person was the king's brother, our very own uncle, Miraz.

"What-?" Caspian started, but I cut him off.

"We have to go." I said, "We're running out of time." I turned to Doctor Cornelius, "Good luck." I grasped Caspian's hand and ran though the castle. It was time to face our uncle.

* * *

Lord Miraz woke to a sword on his throat. He opened his eyes to see his nephew Caspian holding the sword. He chuckled lightly, "Thank goodness," He said smoothly, "You're safe."

I strode forward into view "Cut the crap." I said, my voice low and dangerous. "You don't give a water rat's arse about us."

My dear uncle turned to me as best he could without splitting his throat open. "Courtney. How lovely to see you."

"Ge up." Caspian ordered, moving his sword back slightly to allow for the older man to do so.

Miraz, realizing he didn't have a choice, climbed out of his bed. His movement caused Prunaprismia to sit up.

"Caspian?" She asked, confused.

"Stay where you are." Caspian warned. I had once again stepped back into the shadows. It was always good to keep an ace in the hole. I quickly slipped out of the mind of Miraz

Out of all the people in the castle, barring Caspian and Doctor Cornelius of course, my aunt was one of the only people who seemed to actually care about me. Whereas Miraz had always seemed like a very reluctant guardian of sorts, Prunaprismia had somewhat filled the position of mum. Despite that, she loved Miraz more than she liked me and Caspian. If, _when,_ it came to combat, she would most definitely be on his side.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"I think it's obvious, dear." Miraz answered. I scoffed silently. Prunaprismia had spent years married to the most manipulative man in the country; she had to be cunning to survive. She knew exactly what was happening, she, like I, wanted to keep some of the cards in her hand. I could see her shifting eyes, searching for a weapon.

Miraz turned his gave back to Caspian. "Some might consider this inappropriate behavior."

"That doesn't seem to have stopped you." Caspian responded. I silently applauded him. He spit Miraz's words back at him, something Caspian always seemed too honorable to do.

"But you're not like me, are you?" Miraz asked. "It's sad. The first time you so any backbone, and it's such a waste."

The sound of a crossbow cocking got everyone's attention. I swore viciously under my breath. How could I have been so stupid and let myself get distracted by a battle of words?

"Put down you sword, Caspian." She cautioned, "I don't want to do this."

I was about to come out from my spot, but Susan and Peter entered the room and Susan said, "We don't want you to either!"

Peter drew his sword as Susan aimed an arrow at Prunaprismia.

"This used to be a private room." Miraz remarked idly. I decided that this would be the best time to make my presence known, not to mention how dramatic it would be.

"Key word there." I said, " _Used_ to be." I smiled, "Not anymore."

"What are you two doing here?" Peter asked us. "You're supposed to be at the guardhouse."

"We need this, Peter." I said. I mostly meant that _Caspian_ needed it, but to some extent, I wanted to know for sure if my suspicions were correct.

"For once," Caspian said, "I want the truth." He turned to Miraz. "Did you kill my father?"

Miraz gave a cruel smile. "Now we get to it."

Prunaprismia lowered her crossbow slightly, "You said your brother died in his sleep."

"That was more or less true." Miraz defended himself.

I glared at him fiercely. "Just tell us all the truth. We deserve it." I added under my breath.

Caspian took a few threatening steps towards Miraz, forcing him to step back. "Did you kill my father?" He repeated.

"We Telmarines would have nothing had we not taken it." Miraz answered, "Your father knew that as well as anyone."

"Don't hide behind the people whose true leader you murdered!" I shouted. "Because of you, those people have been living more terribly than they have in centuries!"

"How could you?" Prunaprismia asked quietly, a note of accusation in her voice.

"For the same reason you would pull that trigger!" Miraz exclaimed. He took advantage of our uncertainty to walk forward, towards the door.

"Stop!" Peter ordered, "Stay where you are!"

"For our son," Miraz said to his wife, "You must choose. Do you want our child to be king or do you want him to be like Caspian here? Fatherless!" He spat out the last word.

"That was your fault!" I yelled. "If it weren't for you, our father would be alive and this never would have happened!" I almost broke down crying there, but I ordered myself to stay strong and give in later.

My aunt locked eyes with me. "I'm sorry." She pulled the trigger.

"No!" My family would not be torn apart further. Caspian fell over and Miraz, followed by Prunaprismia escaped. I, along with the older Pevensie siblings, crowded around my fallen brother.

"I'm fine!" Caspian insisted, "She mostly missed."

I didn't quite believe him, but he would live. We had somewhere to be.

* * *

Up on the tower, Edmund accidentally dropped his electric torch. It fell onto a lower tower. A soldier picked it up and accidentally turned it on. The light beam shone high into the sky. Outside, Nikabrik and the army watched the light.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Nikabrik asked to no one in particular.

Edmund jumped down to the tower and landed on top of the soldier, reclaiming his torch. Bells sounded, the alarm had been raised!

* * *

We ran down the hallways. That seemed to happen a lot during surprise attacks. Bells sounded and I cursed under my breath, which also seemed to be a recurring event.

"Language!" Caspian scolded.

"Is this really the time?" I asked.

Peter turned off at an intersection. "Where are you going?" I called.

"Our army is just outside!" Peter yelled as he kept running. Susan, Caspian, and I exchanged a quick look and came to a unanimous decision. We followed Peter.

We entered the courtyard soon after. "Ed!" Peter shouted at one of the towers. "Signal the troops!"

"I'm a little busy right now!" Edmund was struggling with a soldier. Edmund dropped his sword. He looked around for a weapon. He found his torch and used it to hit the soldier down the tower. He tried to turn the torch on, but it was broken.

Peter tried to open the main gate to the castle.

"Peter!" Susan called. "It's too late!"

"No!" Peter insisted. "There's still time! Help me do this!"

Susan, Caspian, and I went to help him. "Who exactly are you doing this for?" I asked. We continued to turn the wheel.

* * *

Up on the tresses of one of the towers, Edmund was fiddling with his torch, attempting to turn it on. He finally succeeded and used it to signal the troops.

* * *

In the courtyard below, a minotaur smashed through the gate, causing me to jump back. The rest of the Narnians charged through, weapons drawn.

Peter followed their lead, "For Narnia!" The rest of us took up the cry.

The battle had officially begun. From the stairs up to the higher levels, a Telmarine soldier aimed his crossbow at Peter and let the arrow loose. I sliced it out of the air instinctively.

"Thanks!" Peter shouted before turning his attention back to the sword about to cleave him in two.

As the same Telmarine with the bow loaded another arrow, Edmund dropped down on his head. "Left!" I warned him as other soldiers loaded their bows. They shot a volley at him, but he rolled to his left just in time to avoid the bolts.

I joined Peter in his fight up the side of the castle. General Glozelle was carefully watching us from up above. He loaded his crossbow, took aim, and shot it. The bolt made contact with my right shoulder. I sword viciously, snapping off the majority of the bolt, but leaving the tip in to prevent me from bleeding out. Peter turned to me, but I gestured for him to go on. I would work out my problems by myself.

Grimacing from waves of pain that my shoulder cheerfully sent me, I switched my sword from my right hand to my left. Since meeting the Pevensies, my decision to perfect my technique with my left hand was paying off.

Peter rushed up the stairs, sword drawn, only to get pushed off by my uncle, who had appeared next to his general. Peter wasn't very high up the stairs when he got pushed, so he would be fine.

Miraz made eye contact with me, noticed my shoulder, then turned away. "Get that gate closed!" He ordered Glozelle, before disappearing back to wherever he had come from.

The gate slowly lowered. For the second time in a few minutes, I cursed again. I sprinted down the stairs. If that gate fully lowered, we would be confined within the castle with the Telmarine army.

The same minotaur who had crashed through the gate, Asterius, I later learned his name was, ran over to the gate and held it up. He was only stalling the inevitable though. At some point, no matter how strong he was, the gears forcing the gate down would overpower him.

"Fall back!" Peter ordered from where he landed below me. "Retreat!" He ran through the courtyard, telling the Narnians to leave. They quickly dispatched their enemies and followed him. A centaur scooped up Susan on his way out.

A Telmarine raised his sword to kill Peter. He was close enough to my spot for me to jump down in front of him and stab my sword through him. The noise got Peter's attention. "Get back!" He commanded me.

"I've got to find Caspian!" I yelled back to him, ignoring his order.

* * *

Edmund made his way back to where he landed, searching for the griffin that had flown him over. The griffin was nowhere in sight. Soldiers tried to smash through a locked door near him. The soldiers broke down the door, swords drawn. Edmund weighed his options, before jumping off the high tower. The soldiers witness him flying on the back of a magnificent griffin.

* * *

I finally saw Caspian with Doctor Cornelius. They were riding together on one horse, with Caspian leading another one. I smiled a little at that; my brother had stolen at least one of those horses, maybe both.

Peter kicked a soldier down and jumped on the other horse. "Let's go!" Caspian yelled at me. I snapped out of my daze and ran right behind them. Peter's horse barely made it through before Asterius collapsed. The gate closed behind him, trapping me and many others inside the castle.

Caspian turned back, "Courtney!" He saw that I was not next to him. I smiled sadly as the Telmarines loosed their arrows.

* * *

 **I feel evil for leaving you guys on a cliffhanger. Sorry not sorry.**

 **Courtney isn't the thirteen-year-old girl that everyone sees. She's been forced to grow up, to mature beyond her years. And Caspian has been too busy to notice her. Ouch**


	6. The Coronation

I knew I was dead, or would very soon be dead. I wasn't scared, which surprised me; to know that I was okay with death, that I was expecting it. I hoped it would be over quickly. I closed my eyes, waiting for the arrow that would extinguish my small light.

The whistling of the arrows stopped. "The king wishes to see you." A commanding voice said. I opened my eyes to see a soldier at my side. I looked around me and nearly threw up. Every other Narnian that was trapped with me was dead.

"He's not king yet." I spit defiantly in his face, earning a slap. I didn't care. I had nothing left to lose.

I was forcefully led through the blood-stained courtyard to a tall, brooding man, my very own uncle, Miraz.

"Do you have anything you wish to tell me?" Miraz asked me, getting straight to the point.

I met his eyes, his light brown meeting my pitch black. My intention was clear, I would tell him nothing. He read my meaning, "Take her to the dungeons." He ordered the soldier.

* * *

"How could you leave her behind?" Edmund yelled at his brother and Caspian.

"I had no choice!" Caspian shouted back. "I had no time to get her back!" He added quietly, "She's dead because of me."

"I should have called off the raid." Peter cursed. While he wasn't as close to Courtney as the other two were, he still felt a sense of responsibility for her death. "It's my fault."

"Who cares whose fault it is?" Susan interjected. "There was nothing any of you could have done to save her."

Edmund nodded solemnly, "She's right. All we can do now is avenge her. And to do that, we _have_ to stay on the same side as each other. No more arguing."

Caspian knew the others were right, but he had just lost his little sister. After their parents had died, or been killed, she was the only person who was always on his side. Without her, he would have lost it years ago. A few tears leaked out of his eyes. He shook his head angrily, there would be a time to mourn, but first, he had a murderer to end.

* * *

I was searched. My dagger and sword were taken, as were my miscellaneous other weapons. I had no way of picking the lock on the cell door.

A few hours after being dropped in the disgusting dungeons, our generous Lord Miraz graced my lowly cell with his presence. "Hello, my dear," He said, smiling.

I scoffed, "Drop the pleasantries, dear uncle. Politeness doesn't suit you."

His smile tightened ever so slightly, just enough for me to know that I was irritating him. Good.

"I am offering you a choice."

"No." I didn't care what the choice was, if it benefited him, I wanted no part in it.

He ignored me. "The first option is telling me about your new friends, and being let out of this hovel. You will have your old room back, and be reinstated as princess of Telmar."

"So I will still be a prisoner, but with a nicer cell." I interpreted the first option.

All signs of graciousness faded. "The other option is rotting away in here. Your choice."

I would not rat out my friends, not for a nice bed and food. "The second option." I said.

Miraz spat at my feet, before turning on his heel and exiting. He realized that I would be of no use.

* * *

Aside from the first day, no one visited me for days. I got a bowl of unidentifiable food twice a day, along with a cup of foul-tasting water.

About a week after the attempted raid, the warden arrived with a guard. "You will go to your room to get cleaned up. Don't even think about trying anything. Lord Miraz's coronation is in three hours."

For a moment, I just stood there, stunned. Who was Miraz to proclaim himself king? _Caspian_ was the real king, son of the previous king. Not this petty man who murdered his brother out of pure jealousy.

The warden unlocked my cell, pulling me out of my thoughts. I gracefully stepped out of the cell, reminding the two men that I was a princess.

The guard led me to the room, or, more accurately, the set of rooms where I had lived for twelve years. He shoved me inside and locked the door. That was new, the door used to lock from the inside. Through the door, the guard said, "Remember, no funny business." I cheerfully chose to ignore him and instead looked around the room to see what other changes had been made.

The many books on my bookshelves had been rearranged, probably taken off the shelves and put back haphazardly. The various papers on my desk had been stacked neatly. The ornamental-looking sword* that had been fully functional had been removed from above the doorframe.

Other things had been removed, disturbed, or cleaned. All the changes, small or large, irritated me. Who had the authority to go through my things?

I went to the bookshelf closest to the door and hoped for luck. I felt along the inside of the shelf for a button. When I found it, I pushed it. A compartment popped up, and in it sat one of my best daggers*. I considered tucking it in my boot, but I would undoubtedly have to change my clothes and my shoes. I decided on leaving it in the bookshelf to retrieve it later. I pushed the button again to conceal the compartment.

Upon entering my bedroom, there were two maids at the foot of my bed. On the bed itself was a gorgeous dress*. It was royal blue with roses and many layers. I hated it immediately. It was not the kind of dress I would choose for myself.

"Who chose this dress?" I asked the maids, who had thus far been quiet.

"King Miraz." One of them answered quietly.

"He's not king yet." I muttered under my breath. I plastered a smile on my face. "We may as well start."

* * *

Two hours later, after a taking a bath and having my makeup and hair done, the maids labeled me as 'nearly ready'. Alyss, who had been the one to answer my question about the dress, pulled out a pair of shoes*. They were a darker blue than my dress, with silver designs and about a two-inch heel. Again, I never would have worn those shoes. How was anyone expected to dance in heels?

The other maid, Katheryn, held up a pair of earrings*. They were, surprise!, blue. I didn't mind the color blue, but this was an overload.

To top off the outfit, Alyss placed a silver circlet on my head. That circlet was my official princess crown, confirming my suspicion that I was only allowed to go to the coronation as another royal figure.

I was finally ready. I had a few more minutes before I would have to go, so, under the pretense of taking a book and reading it, I retrieved my knife and tied the strap around my calf. The many layers of the dress hid it from sight.

Alyss, the more vocal of the two maids, volunteered to escort me to the Great Hall. Apparently, I wasn't allowed to travel anywhere by myself, which was probably a good decision, but what was an untrained maid going to do to stop me?

The castle grounds had been completely cleared of any signs of battle. The bodies of the fallen Narnians had been removed. Probably burned, I thought furiously to myself. I hadn't been with them for very long, but they had become my family.

The Great Hall had been decorated for the event. Telmarine royals stood in rows facing the front, where the throne sat. Lord Sopespian stood behind the throne. In the ten years since my father had been murdered, no one had dared to sit in that seat. I burned with anger.

I longed to sit in the back, where I could not be perceived as supportive of this crowning, but was led to the front, for all to see, further reaffirming my previous suspicion.

I stared straight ahead, but I could feel the eyes of many people on me.

After a few minutes, progression music was played as my uncle walked down the middle of the hall. When he reached the throne, he turned to face his inferiors. Lord Sopespian placed the royal crown on Miraz's head and he sat down on the throne. The people around me bowed. It took all of my self-control to not stand up and rip the crown off his lying, scheming, murderous head. I desired to leave the hall and throw up. I would settle for hurling in the hall if I could get away with it.

Miraz walked out onto the balcony to address the peasants of the kingdom he did not deserve. When he stopped to look out on the people, the words, "Long live the king," were shouted many times.

* * *

 *** Check my profile for a link to my Pintrest board with these items.**

 **I think Courtney would be a Slytherin, what do you guys think? Tell me your answers, questions, and comments in the reviews!**


	7. The Ball

After the coronation was a ball. At first, I had considered not dancing at all, maybe retreating to my room and staying there, or even attempting an escape, but I stayed for two reasons.

The first was that by staying and dancing with some of the high-ranked officials, I might be able to learn something about Miraz's plans, which he undoubtedly had.

The second reason was a little silly. I wished to do something that normal girls wished to do, dress up and dance with dashing princes. There were a few younger men, not quite my age, but younger than twenty. With a start, I realized that Miraz might have wanted me to marry one of them and secure an alliance with one of the various kingdoms.

I would play the part of a giddy princess, but only to get information. I was younger than the age of a princess the princes were looking to court, but my hair and makeup were done to make me appear older than I really was, probably for that reason.

Plus, if I caught the eye of a young prince, all sorts of arrangements would have to be made, keeping me in the castle. If and when I got married to said prince, I would probably go to live with him, and he would keep an eye on me, making sure that I didn't leave to join my otherworldly friends. I had to admit, it was a brilliant idea. Too bad I was in the equation.

"May I have this dance?" A voice asked behind me. I turned, my features morphing to shock as I met the eyes of Edmund Pevensie, his features mirroring mine.

* * *

 **Two days before**

"Miraz is pronouncing himself king in two days." A centaur informed a meeting consisting of High King Peter, King Edmund, Queen Susan, and Prince Caspian. "All the royals of the land are invited."

"One of us should go." Susan said. "All of us would cause a scene, but just one should be able to go relatively unnoticed."

There was silence for a few minutes as everyone thought about it. Then Edmund spoke up, "I'll go." He was met with strange looks. "It makes the most sense for me to." Edmund insisted. "There will most likely be few females, so Su would attract unwanted attention. No one there will have seen my face before.

"Pete could be recognized, but I was on the tower for almost the entire raid. Caspian, of course, would noticed immediately by everyone. So that leaves me." After some consideration, no one had any arguments against Edmund's reasoning.

"You need a cover story." Caspian said. "You can't exactly waltz in and say that you are one of Narnia's kings."

Edmund inclined his head slightly to recognized Caspian's point. "I was thinking that I could go as the prince of one of the Eastern Island countries." Edmund said, "Miraz doesn't communication with those countries, correct?" He addressed the question to Caspian. Caspian nodded in affirmation. "Maybe Prince Henry Williams of Galma will make the strenuous journey to attend the coronation of the king of Telmar?"

Caspian considered this, then nodded, "I think that should do." He walked over to Edmund and clapped him on the back, "We need to find you something suitable, so you don't get kicked out the door."

* * *

For some odd reason, Caspian had a formal set of clothes. They weren't a perfect fit on Edmund, but they would do the job. Caspian nodded his approval, "Not bad."

"Would taking my sword be undiplomatic?" Edmund asked, who never felt right without his weapon by his side.

Caspian pursed his lips, "I would recommend leaving it here-" Edmund's face fell, "-But you should bring a smaller weapon, like a dagger." Edmund nodded, unclipping his sword's scabbard.

After retrieving a dagger and tucking it in his boot, Edmund was as prepared as he was going to be. It was two days before the actual coronation, but that left time for Caspian to coach Edmund on his accent, grammar, and anything else that would help him fit into the role of foreign prince.

* * *

The day of the coronation, Edmund was feeling confident with his new identity. The accent was similar to an Irish accent back on Earth, which, luckily, was somewhat close to a British accent.

Aslan's How was only a few hours ride on horseback away from the castle. Edmund started his journey with Peter by his side. It was risky, as someone could recognize him, but it would be suspicious if Edmund went without an escort.

Peter would act as a bodyguard. Generally, more than one person would escort royalty, but the only other humans in the army were Caspian and Susan. Either of them could cause a scene, the very thing they were trying avoid.

* * *

Neither of the brothers said much over the journey. To their dismay, they had completely missed the coronation and the ball was in full swing. There were more females than either of them had anticipated; Susan would have fit in perfectly.

"Ask one of them to dance," Peter murmured in Edmund's ear. Edmund nodded and surveyed the ballroom. There was a young lady in a royal blue dress with dark brown hair with her back to him who reminded him of Courtney. A flood of tears threatened to spill, but he held them back yet again. He would take the time to mourn for her after the whole ordeal was finished.

He stepped up to the girl. He extended his hand. "May I have this dance?" The girl turned to him. "Courtney?" He chocked in surprise.

* * *

"Courtney?" Edmund asked, "How?" I had the sudden urge to throw my arms around him, but that would attract attention.

"Dance with me." I said quickly, taking his outstretched hand. He understood that it was not the time to draw attention to us and led me into waltz.

"How?" He asked again, "I saw the arrows fly."

I explained what had been happening over the last week. He lost his rhythm a few times, but he always corrected himself almost instantaneously.

"What happens after this?" He asked.

I had given it some thought, but I wasn't sure. "I don't know."

"We'll take you with us." He said confidently.

"We?"

"Me and Peter." I immediately searched the room for Edmund's older brother. I spotted him on the outside of the room. We made eye contact and I saw his eyes widen.

"How are you planning on getting me out unnoticed?" I asked.

He smiled, "I have a plan."

* * *

 **Sorry for the short chapter, but hey, at least I updated this. I'm proud of myself! Let's see how long I can keep this up.**

 **I just watched Avengers: Infinity War over the weekend (twice!) and it was honestly an amazing movie. I sort of want to make a Spider-man x OC fanfiction, but I think it might make me neglect this one. What do you guys think? Now? Later? Not at all? Tell me in the reviews or PM me!**


	8. Playing a Dangerous Game

**Sorry this is a little late today. I wrote it all last night, instead of over the week. Oops.**

* * *

Two hours into the ball, whenever Edmund saw Courtney out of the corner of his eye, he was still so shocked to see her there. He kept expecting her to disappear, that she was just his imagination.

"Any ideas?" Courtney asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. "For our great escape?" She clarified.

He shook his head, "Not really. I was hoping you had something."

"If this is up to me," Courtney said, "I think we're sunk." One thing Edmund had learned in the few weeks he had known Courtney, she hid her nervousness behind humor. He appreciated her ability to keep things light.

"We should dance." Edmund said, realizing that an unknown prince talking to the new king's niece would be suspicious.

Courtney followed his lead. "I'm not very good at this whole avoiding suspicion thing." She admitted. "It scares me, thinking that something as small as talking could get us killed."

Edmund hadn't considered that, but she was right. They were playing a dangerous game, and the sooner they got a plan, the safer they would be. He hoped that Peter had more success than them in that department.

* * *

It wasn't safe, but we had to risk it. Hopefully we could make it appear as a diplomatic arrangement, instead of what it really was, a meeting to plan an escape. While we could just leave periodically, people would notice that I was gone, considering that I was a close relative of the new king.

Edmund started up a conversation with Peter, my cue to join them. "Anything?" I asked in a low tone, just in case people were listening. I then said at my normal volume, "How are things in Galma?" I cringed at my vague question.

"Of course, things could always be better," Edmund answered. "But despite the troubles in the past, our country is doing well." Lowering his voice he said, "We have a rough sketch of a plan, but it needs fine-tuning." Raising his voice again, he said, "What changes will be made now that your uncle is king?"

"The whole country will become a hellhole." I muttered under my breath. I pasted what I hoped looked like a genuine smile and said, "With King Miraz, the economy will be booming." Quieter, I added, "Care to clue me in?" It was hard to keep track of both conversations, and to continue them at the appropriate volume.

"Cause a distraction and leave." Peter said quietly, the first thing he had said during the whole exchange. "Trade with Galma will commence, I presume?"

"This is ridiculous," I complained under my breath, "Does anyone even care?" I cleared my throat. "Of course, we need more food to fear the country, and you need weapons in case of an invasion." Both those statements were actually true. "Fire always attracts attention." I said softly. "Although people could get hurt."

"One of us could alert the people before someone else starts the fire." Edmund said. "I'm sure we could negotiate a fair price that would be mutually beneficial."

"The fire should start outside this room, but close enough to spread here." The guests would have more time escape, but it would focus the attention on it, not us.

Peter and Edmund exchanged a look before nodding. "Twenty minutes." Peter said, keeping his voice low. "I'll start the fire. No one pays attention to the non-royals."

"I'll scream and point." I responded in kind, "Easy enough."

"Thank you for your time, Princess Courtney." Edmund said formally, ending our 'trade agreement'.

We all went our separate ways. "Who was that?" I cursed violently in my head, my _favorite_ uncle.

"The prince of Galma." I answered. "And his bodyguard. We discussed an arrangement, but nothing was decided."

Miraz smiled. "I knew you would fit right in." I would never fit into the world of cunning plans and backstabbing. Instead of voicing those opinions, I smiled sweetly and excused myself, catching a dance with the prince of Archenland.

* * *

Nineteen minutes later, Edmund caught my eye and mouthed 'now'.

I pointed to the main door. "Fire! Fire!" I screamed. "Everyone get out!" A bit of smoke floated in through the window, reinforcing my alarm. I silently resolved to thank Peter. The effect was almost instantaneously.

The whole room was a mess of people scrambling to escape. I ran to Edmund. There was no way I was leaving him again, after just finding him.

"Follow me!" I yelled in his ear. I reached under my dress and pulled out my dagger. I used the hilt to smash a nearby window. Edmund took my hand and we jumped out together.

"Stupid heels!" I nearly broke my ankles. I ripped off said heels and threw them as far as I could. It felt good.

"Come on!" Edmund shouted, pulling my hand, which he was still holding. "We have to find Peter!"

* * *

As it happened, starting a fire wasn't as easy as it looked. It took Peter most of the twenty minutes striking two rocks together to get a spark.

Finding material that caught fire quickly was surprising easy to find. There was an office nearby with stacks of paper on the desk. He hoped he didn't burn anything too important.

The fire spread quickly, the flames licking up the papers and moving on to the drapes on the window. The castle was beautiful, he would regret if he destroyed the whole castle

He was a little early, but that would help when Courtney raised the alarm. As if on cue, he heard shouting from the great hall. People started flooding out of the doors, screaming and running.

He fought against the flow to peek inside. After a quick scan of the area, he spotted Courtney's blue dress, next to Edmund. The next moment, she had smashed through the window and they had jumped out.

Peter pushed people out of the way, making his way to the window. It took a few minutes, but he jumped out the window, almost tripping on a pair of blue heels. He spotted two figures a hundred meters to his left. "Ed!" He yelled across the castle grounds. His younger brother turned.

* * *

"It's Peter!" Edmund shouted in my ear. I turned.

We both ran to the tall silhouette. "We have to leave." Peter said, "We only have two horses." He pointed to the stables.

"She can ride with me." Edmund said. It would probably be awkward, but we didn't have time.

Peter nodded. "Let's go." We made our way to the stables. There was no one in sight.

Edmund, the ever gentleman, gave me a leg up, though I didn't need it. He climbed on in front of me. He flicked his reins and we set off, with Peter on our left on his horse.

* * *

"She's gone?" Miraz snapped at the unfortunate guard who had to be the bearer of bad news.

The guard gulped. "After the fire was contained, she was nowhere to be found."

"Were there any other missing guests?" Miraz's suspicion was slowly mounting.

"The prince of Galma had disappeared." The pity one would have for the guard was growing rapidly. It made one wonder what the guard had done to deserve such a job.

"I knew it!" Miraz exploded, startling the guard. "I knew there was something off about that 'prince'." He said at a normal volume. "They've taken my niece away!" He shouted, one again causing the guard to jump. "I'll kill you, little Narnias." He muttered.

* * *

Returning to the camp was like coming home. I had never felt at home in the castle, even before I ran away.

Caspian, Susan, and Lucy were waiting for us. I wished I could have captured the look of shock on their faces; priceless. Caspian was the first snap out of it and hug me.

"Courtney!"

"Yes," I said, "It's me. And if you're not careful, it'll be me with broken ribs."

"Sorry." Caspian loosened his embrace slightly. "How are you alive?"

I sighed. "Gather everyone who would want to hear this. It's a long story." I looked down at my filthy dress. "I have to change my clothes."

* * *

"And we rode here." I said, finishing my story in my normal, mostly clean outfit. "You know what happened after that."

"You were in the dungeons?" Caspian asked. "For a week? Courtney, if we'd known-"

"You couldn't have known." I cut him off. "Even if you did, you could hardly launch a full-scale invasion."

"But still." Caspian said, "If there was even the slightest possibility that you were alive, we should have gone to get you."

"And ended up dead?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "This is not the time for 'what ifs'."

"I never would have been able to forgive myself if you were dead because I didn't save you." Caspian said quietly, the words meant for only me to hear.

"We can't sit around here wondering what we could have done." I said resolutely. "We have to prepare for battle. Miraz isn't sitting around on his behind, and neither should we."

* * *

 **Question of the chapter: I've changed Courtney's character a lot since the beginning. Do you guys like the old, innocent (ish) Courtney, or this determined one more? I love hearing my readers feedback!**


	9. Those Three Years Ago

The sound of steel on steel rang out in the forest near the Narnian camp. I barely managed to block Edmund's strike. "I'm _definitely_ out of practice." I said as I counterattacked.

Edmund dodged and shrugged, "Understandable." He tried to sweep my legs, but I jumped at the perfect time, causing him to be slightly off balanced. He quickly corrected himself before I could react.

"I'm must be getting old." I said, switching my sword to my right hand. I smiled at Edmund's fleeting look of confusion. This time, I didn't miss my opportunity, sending a punch to his face with my left hand, while he was watching the sword in my right.

"You?" Edmund asked sarcastically, narrowly ducking under my fist. "Never." He then frowned, "I thought we were having a sword fight."

"No one out there will fight fair," I kicked him in the shin, harder than I meant to, making contact.

"Ow!" He exclaimed, instinctively using his free hand to grab his leg. "You're right."

"Sorry," I apologized, before snatching his sword with my right hand. I pointed both at this throat. "I believe I win this time." He sighed. I offered him his sword back, handle first. "I'm not as old as I previously thought."

"Nicely done." Edmund complimented me. "I'll win next time for sure."

"Suuuure." I said, drawing out the word, "Just keep telling yourself that. Maybe it'll actually happen."

"My leg still hurts." He complained, keeping his tone light, though I knew he was serious. He sat down on the grass.

I winced. "Sorry," I apologized again. "I didn't mean to kick you so hard. You okay?"

Edmund smiled ruefully. "I should have expected that."

"Probably." I agreed. "But I'm still sorry." I sat down next to him. We continued to chat for a few minutes, joking with and teasing each other, completely at ease in each other's company, until I said, "It's getting late."

Edmund nodded. "You're right." He agreed. "We should go before they begin to wonder where we are." He stood up first, offering his hand to help me up.

"I can stand by myself." I said, taking his hand anyway.

"I know." He responded. "It's the polite thing to do."

I rolled my eyes. "Always the gentleman."

Edmund presented his elbow. "Shall we, milady?"

I linked my arm through his, "Of course, milord."

We talked and laughed as we walked back to the camp. A flash of metal out of the corner of my eye caused me to stop and survey the surrounding area. "What's wrong?" Edmund asked.

"Maybe nothing." I said, "Maybe something."

"Which is it?" Edmund asked, making me realize that what I said made no sense to anyone else.

"I thought I saw something." I clarified. "But it's probably nothing."

"You sure?"

I shook my head. "No, not really."

"We should check it out." Edmund started walking to our left. "I'm going the wrong way, aren't I?"

I tried, and failed, to hide a smile. "Yep. It's this way." I pointed to the right.

"Right." He said, "That's what I meant."

When we got to where I thought I saw the metal, there was nothing. "I knew it was just in my head."

"Wait, look!" Edmund knelt low to the ground. "Hoof prints."

"Nicely done." I complimented him. "I never would have spotted that. But couldn't it have been one of our horses?"

Edmund shrugged. "I guess it could be. We ought to follow the trail." He set off into the forest, with me on his heels, or, more accurately, on his horse's hooves.

* * *

After only a few minutes, the tracks led to a river. We dismounted as I cursed rather loudly. Edmund raised an eyebrow. "Not very ladylike, are we?"

"To hell with ladylike." I said shortly. I turned my attention back to the abrupt end of our tracing. "We'll never find them now. At least we know one thing: They weren't from our camp."

"Do we really need to know where they were going?" Edmund asked. "I think it's pretty safe to assume that they were from Miraz and that they now know our location."

"I hate assuming things," I said. "I normally turn out wrong. But I think that yes, in this case, it's most likely that they were from Miraz."

"Report back now?" Edmund clamored on his horse, I followed suit.

"We have to move camp." I said. "That would be rather hard to keep everyone together and moving at the same time."

Edmund's face hardened. "We have to try. I won't have all the remaining Narnians wiped out because I didn't want to take a chance."

* * *

We wasted no time in returning to camp and finding Peter, Susan, Caspian, and Lucy. "We have an issue." I said bluntly, instead of beating around the bush like some people would do.

"We have valid reason to believe to think that Miraz knows, or will know very shortly, where our camp is." Edmund said.

"Do you have any proof?" Caspian challenged. "I can't tell everyone to move if we aren't exactly know that we have to."

"I saw the armor and we found hoof prints leading towards the castle." I said. "We have to leave, now."

"Courtney." Peter intervened. "Are you absolutely sure?"

I exchanged a glace with Edmund. "Yes." I said resolutely. "We're sure."

Caspian nodded. "Alert the troops that we have to move out."

I nodded. "Yes Your Majesty." For the first time, after saying sarcastically many times over the years, I was sincere.

* * *

"Where can we go?" Susan asked when we met back again, after telling everyone to pack up.

"Anywhere but here." Edmund said. "This is a gigantic forest."

"Is everyone here ready?" Peter asked. All of us answered in affirmation. "Then let's get a move on. The longer we spend here, the more time Miraz has to send his army to destroy us."

* * *

We rode at a slower pace than I would have liked, but we had to keep the army together and stay on the lookout for a campsite.

I ended up next to Caspian, who I hadn't really talked to at all. "Thanks for believing me." I said.

"No problem." Caspian answered. "The last time I didn't believe you, I ended up looking pretty stupid."

I smiled. "Yep. Looking back on it, it was pretty funny."

* * *

 **Three years before**

"Cas!" A concerned ten-year-old-me cried at my older brother. "Come down before you fall!"

"Don't worry, Court!" Fourteen-year-old-Caspian yelled back at me, "I know what I'm doing!" He climbed higher and higher up the tall, gnarly tree in the courtyard. By now, he had gathered a rather large audience consisting of main servants, with a few nobles scattered around at random.

"Just, be careful!" I advised.

"Don't worry." Caspian repeated. "I know what I'm do – Ahh!" He lost his grip and fell down, down, down… into my arms. The assembled crowd erupted into mutters and murmurs.

"You okay?" I asked, setting him on his feet. Being four years older than me and a boy, he weighed quite a lot, at least for a ten-year-old girl to support.

"I think so." Caspian said.

"Good." I said, before punching his arm. "Why didn't you come down when I told you?" I questioned.

"Because I- I-" He sighed. "I don't know."

I hugged him in front of a majority of the castle, likely causing more rumors. "You don't have to prove yourself to anyone." I whispered in his ear. "You're worth everything, and anyone who can't see that doesn't deserve you."

"I love you." He whispered back.

"I love you too."

* * *

I smiled sadly, remembering what kind of a relationship we had then. I missed that. Despite the fact that our horses' legs could tangle and cause us both to fall down, I tilted my head to lean on my brother, my biggest supporter.

"I love you." Caspian said, repeating the words I said those years ago. "I don't say it enough, but I do."

"I love you too."

* * *

 **Some cute little sibling fluff here. I love hearing feedback from my readers!**


	10. So Will I

**I upped everyone's age by one year. I thought that they were all a little too young. I mean, I made Courtney twelve. She's now thirteen. (Just go with it.)**

* * *

I groaned loudly. Caspian shot me a sideways glance. "I'm an idiot." I declared. "We should just go to Aslan's How." The reason we had abandoned the fortress in the first place was that it was too far away from the Telmarine castle. It wasn't a very strategic location to launch attacks from (such as the raid).

"I should have thought of that." Caspian said.

"Probably." I smiled smugly. Caspian mock scowled at me, and I laughed. "You wanna tell them?" Although I had fought besides the Narnians, I had no authority over them. They simply saw me as a little girl who had to get rescued. It didn't bother me as much as it should have. I was used to being in Caspian's shadow, fading into the background unnoticed.

* * *

The journey to Aslan's How took nearly two days, with few rest periods. Our food supply had been almost completely depleted. Upon arrival, tensions were high and everyone was high strung.

But by far the worst were Peter and Caspian. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have this issue!" Caspian shouted at Peter.

"If you hadn't decided to invade Narnia, we wouldn't even have to come here!" Peter shot back.

That was just the beginning. They went back and forth for a few minutes, increasing in volume. At first, I had just stood on the side awkwardly, hoping that they would resolve their problems, but it became obvious that they would not. The army was also watching, murmuring amongst each other. I could feel their respect for both of the men dropping.

This had gone on long enough. I took a deep breath. "ENOUGH!" I yelled. Caspian and Peter's argument came to an abrupt halt. The muted conversations ceased. Even Susan and Lucy, who had not said anything, started.

"We're all exhausted." I said. Peter opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. "That's no excuse to squabble like schoolchildren." Peter lowered his gaze, humbled.

"And the rest of you," I said, raising my voice to address everyone, "No leader is perfect. But they do their best to step up to their position of responsibility, which is more than the rest of you have done." By this point, no one held my gaze. They were all ashamed of their behavior. Good, they should be. We had no time for this this nonsense.

"Now," I continued, "If everyone is quite finished, I would enjoy some sleep." And with that, with everyone staring at me, I picked up my stuff and marched to the wall. I spread out my cloak on the ground before lying down and closing my eyes.

Before I fell asleep, I muttered, "Aslan? If you're real, why aren't you helping us?" I had been wondering that for weeks, but had never said it out loud.

* * *

 **(For this section, I recommend listening to the song "So Will I (100 Billion X)" by Hillsong United)**

* * *

I was a god. I created plants, animals, rivers, mountains, and other landscaping, snapping into existence in an instant. Humans, and normal animals, no-talking ones, soon joined them in populated the land. The place was unlike any other I had ever seen. Could it have been the Pevensie siblings' world?

Billions of galaxies away, I created another planet. Only this place had no people, but instead mythical creatures; centaurs, dwarfs, talking animals of all sorts, unicorns, minotaurs, and mermaids. Narnia, but with creatures I had never seen before.

Time went by in a second. I saw a thousand sunrises and sunsets. I saw the creatures multiplying; populating the land I had created. I felt the joy when they discovered how to communicate, and the sorrow of their deaths; the heartbreak when entire species went extinct.

A loud roar echoed in my ears. I was in my own body again, with a majestic lion in front of me. Aslan the Lion, who had not been seen by anyone in centuries. I bowed deeply.

"Rise, my child." Aslan said. I stood. "Do you now see why I cannot interfere? I made them, and yet I have given them the gift of free will, and I will not take that away, no matter how much I wish I could simply go and make things right."

I was awed. "You have that much power?" I asked.

"Yes." He answered. "You have seen it firsthand."

"Why were you able to help them last time, then?" I wished to understand, but it was beyond the grasp of mere humans. Though I had just had experience as a god, I did not want that kind of power. I was content with staying as a human.

"That was a special circumstance." Aslan's words pulled me out of my thoughts.

"If there has been a time that we need you," I persisted. "It's now. Without you, we will fail."

"Have more faith in yourself, child." Aslan said gently. "You are capable of doing this; you only have to believe in yourself." He, and the rest of his creation, faded.

* * *

I sat up on the cold floor quickly, causing spots to dance in front of my eyes. I ignored them and they flickered away. Had it all been a dream? It felt so real.

I used my hand to push up from my spot on the ground to stand up. My hand hit something soft, a tuft of fur. Golden fur. I had only seen one creature with fur that color and texture, Aslan himself. I smiled to myself.

I decided to go outside for a breath of fresh air. It was dark inside the fortress, impossible to tell what time of day it was.

The pink, orange, and red rays of the sunrise lit up the horizon. After my dream, or maybe what had not been a dream, I saw the sunrise in a whole new light. Aslan had made the sun to support life in Narnia and the surrounding lands. The sunrise was simply there for human enjoyment. How could someone care so much about their creation that they created things just so that they could be admired, but would not save them from extinction?

What Aslan told me had to be true. We had to be able to defeat the Telmarines without him. Or, more accurately, without him physically aiding us. Another thing I had learned was that Aslan helped us from inside ourselves. When he formed us, he put a part of himself in us. Our victories were because he was with us, and caused us to succeed. Our failures were because we had turned our backs on him, perhaps we had been too confident in ourselves, and we thought that we didn't need him.

But the truth was, we needed him. We need Aslan more when our chances looked slim; than it appeared that we had the upper hand. I understood now. It made so much sense.

* * *

 **I did write a huge chunk of this chapter based on God from the Bible and Christianity. That was what the original series was based on. Although I made it more obvious, I do believe it was necessary. If you do not believe in the Creator God from the Bible, I recommend you stop reading this now. If anyone has questions about this, please PM me.**


	11. Quite the Scene

I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. In the week after the White Witch incident, I felt like something was about to happen, but nothing ever did.

I was pacing in front of the carving of Aslan, trying to convince myself that nothing would happen, and that I was just paranoid, when the sound of running footsteps snapped me out of my thoughts. Edmund rushed into the room, dressed in full battle gear. "You'd better come quick." He said.

It's coming, I thought as I followed him outside, where the other Pevensies along with my brother, already were. I gazed out towards the forest to witness the full power of the Telmarine army closing in on our fortress. The sun glinted off their spotless armor.

"This is it." I said solemnly. "This will end; one way or another."

* * *

Back inside the Stone Table room, we held a hurried emergency meeting.

"Cakes and kettledrums!" Trumpkin exclaimed. "That's your next big plan? Sending a little girl alone into the darkest parts of the forest alone?"

"I don't like it either." I said. "But it's our only option."

"And she won't be alone." Susan added.

"Haven't enough of us died already?" Trumpkin asked. Peter, Edmund, Caspian, and I winced. That was a low blow, bringing up Nikabrik.

"Nikabrik was my friend too." Trufflehunter the badger said. "But he lost hope. Queen Lucy hasn't. And neither have I."

"For Aslan!" Reepicheep cried.

"For Aslan!" The rest of us echoed. In that moment, the power of Aslan pulsed in the air. It was gone as soon as it came.

"All the same," Trumpkin said, turning to Lucy. "I'm coming with you."

"No." Lucy said firmly. "We need you here."

"We have to hold them off until Lucy and Susan come back." Peter said.

"Courtney-" Caspian started, but I cut him off.

"Don't even try." I said aggressively. "I'm staying here." Caspian opened his mouth again, but I kept going. "I'm not about to abandon this place. If I have to die, it will be to give the rest of the army a chance."

Caspian accepted my decision, albeit reluctantly. "One thing I wish to add." He stepped forward. "Miraz may be a tyrant and a murderer. But as king, he is subject to the traditions and expectations of his people. There is one in particular that may buy us some time."

* * *

I was selected, along with Edmund and a centaur named Glenstorm, to inform Miraz that we intended to follow through on a tradition.

Before Susan and Lucy left for their mission, I enlisted their help to choose a dress to wear as part of our diplomatic duty.

"What about this one?" Lucy asked, holding up a strapless, light pink dress from my closet **(posted on my Pinterest page)**. Pink wasn't really my color; it had been a gift from some visiting royal prince about a year ago. But even I couldn't deny that it was gorgeous.

"I'll try it on." I said, stepping into the bathroom attached to my room. The dress fit me well, tightly clinging to my upper body and flaring out from my knees to the floor.

I came out into the main room. "So?" I asked. "What do you think?" I did a spin, causing my dress to spin around with me.

"It's perfect." Lucy said, admiring my dress. Susan nodded in agreement.

I smiled. In the weeks; months that it had been since I first left my home and my uncle, I had learned to live in the moment; to appreciate the small things and to not spend my life fearing what was to come. This was one of these moments that I would look back on as a bright spot in my life, if we survived, that is.

"Good luck." Susan told me.

"You too." I said. I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

Susan smiled sheepishly. "I don't know what to say now."

I laughed humorlessly. "Neither do I." I gave her a hug. She paused for a second, caught off guard, but returned the hug. "I'm gonna miss you."

"So will I." I extracted myself from her embrace and hugged Lucy as well.

"Good luck." I told Lucy. "Things won't be the same without you here."

"We'll only be gone a day or two." Lucy said.

"I know." I sighed. "Don't worry; I'll make sure your brothers don't get themselves killed."

"Thanks." Lucy said. "I know you'll keep them safe." After that, there was nothing left to say.

"I have to go." I said, partly because it was getting awkward, but mostly because it was true. I had spent longer than I had anticipated talking with Susan and Lucy. I had been with them nearly every day and even one day without them would be strange. As I walked out, I paused and turned back. "Goodbye." With that, I turned my back on the two of them, heading to the unknown.

* * *

"I really hope this works." Edmund said to me outside, as we were making final preparations to meet with Miraz. "If this fails, then Susan and Lucy are doomed."

"Have a little bit of optimism, this will work." But despite my cheerful attitude, I knew we had a slim chance of this succeeding. Oh Aslan, please let this work.

"Ready?" Edmund asked.

I took a deep, hopefully calming, breath. "As ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

With green olive branches in hand, a symbol of peace, Edmund, Glenstorm the Centaur, and I made our way straight to the heart of the enemy camp.

When we arrived at the main tent, Edmund and I stepped inside while Glenstorm waiting outside. We didn't want our entire party in one place, just in case.

Edmund read the challenge from Peter to Miraz and the assembled high-ranked members. "I, Peter, by the gift of Aslan, by election and by conquest, High King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel, and Emperor of the Lone Islands, in order to prevent the abominable effusion of blood, do hereby challenge the usurper Miraz to single combat upon the field of battle.

"The fight shall be to the death. The reward shall be total surrender." He rolled up the scroll he was reading from.

"Tell me, Prince Edmund-" Miraz started, completely ignoring my presence.

"King." Edmund corrected.

"Pardon?" Miraz asked.

"It's _King_ Edmund actually. Just king though. Peter's the High King." Edmund spread his hands, "I know, it's confusing." I let out a soft snort.

Miraz raised an eyebrow, but let it go. "Why would we risk such a proposal when our army could wipe out yours in one night?"

"Haven't you already underestimated our numbers?" I asked. It had pre-determined that this would be my part. "Only a week ago, Narnians were extinct, right?" I allowed a hint of my smug smile show.

"And so you will be again." Miraz said.

"Then you have little to fear." I said, with confidence I did not feel. He would give his decision very soon.

Miraz laughed. "This is not a question of bravery."

I was hoping that he would say something like that. I would be able to bait him now. "So you're _bravely_ refusing to fight a swordsman half your age?" I snickered. "Maybe a third your age."

"I didn't say I refused." Miraz said sharply.

"You shall have our support, Your Majesty. No matter you decision." A Telmarine lord said. Nicolás, if I remembered correctly.

"Sire," Lord Sopespian said, "Our military advantage alone allows us the perfect excuse to avoid-"

Miraz stood up and drew his sword. "I'm not avoiding anything!" He exclaimed, cutting off the lord.

"I am merely pointing out that my lord is well within his rights to refuse." Sopespian said calmly. I had like Lord Sopespian more than most of the other lords; he was often times the voice of reason, whether or not his reason was listened to.

"His majesty would never refuse." General Glozelle said, "He relishes the chance to show his people the bravery of their new king."

Miraz pointed his sword towards Edmund. "You had better hope your brother's sword proves sharper."

* * *

 **After this chapter, I'll post one more next week, then I'm going on vacation for 3 weeks! I won't have my computer with me, so I won't be able to type anything. I'll try typing it up on my phone, but no promises and if I do it will probably be pretty short.**


	12. Good Luck

I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. In the week after the White Witch incident, I felt like something was about to happen, but nothing ever did.

I was pacing in front of the carving of Aslan, trying to convince myself that nothing would happen, and that I was just paranoid, when the sound of running footsteps snapped me out of my thoughts. Edmund rushed into the room, dressed in full battle gear. "You'd better come quick." He said.

It's coming, I thought as I followed him outside, where the other Pevensies along with my brother, already were. I gazed out towards the forest to witness the full power of the Telmarine army closing in on our fortress. The sun glinted off their spotless armor.

"This is it." I said solemnly. "This will end; one way or another."

* * *

Back inside the Stone Table room, we held a hurried emergency meeting.

"Cakes and kettledrums!" Trumpkin exclaimed. "That's your next big plan? Sending a little girl alone into the darkest parts of the forest alone?"

"I don't like it either." I said. "But it's our only option."

"And she won't be alone." Susan added.

"Haven't enough of us died already?" Trumpkin asked. Peter, Edmund, Caspian, and I winced. That was a low blow, bringing up Nikabrik.

"Nikabrik was my friend too." Trufflehunter the badger said. "But he lost hope. Queen Lucy hasn't. And neither have I."

"For Aslan!" Reepicheep cried.

"For Aslan!" The rest of us echoed. In that moment, the power of Aslan pulsed in the air. It was gone as soon as it came.

"All the same," Trumpkin said, turning to Lucy. "I'm coming with you."

"No." Lucy said firmly. "We need you here."

"We have to hold them off until Lucy and Susan come back." Peter said.

"Courtney-" Caspian started, but I cut him off.

"Don't even try." I said aggressively. "I'm staying here." Caspian opened his mouth again, but I kept going. "I'm not about to abandon this place. If I have to die, it will be to give the rest of the army a chance."

Caspian accepted my decision, albeit reluctantly. "One thing I wish to add." He stepped forward. "Miraz may be a tyrant and a murderer. But as king, he is subject to the traditions and expectations of his people. There is one in particular that may buy us some time."

* * *

I was selected, along with Edmund and a centaur named Glenstorm, to inform Miraz that we intended to follow through on a tradition.

Before Susan and Lucy left for their mission, I enlisted their help to choose a dress to wear as part of our diplomatic duty.

"What about this one?" Lucy asked, holding up a strapless, light pink dress from my closet **(posted on my Pinterest page)**. Pink wasn't really my color; it had been a gift from some visiting royal prince about a year ago. But even I couldn't deny that it was gorgeous.

"I'll try it on." I said, stepping into the bathroom attached to my room. The dress fit me well, tightly clinging to my upper body and flaring out from my knees to the floor.

I came out into the main room. "So?" I asked. "What do you think?" I did a spin, causing my dress to spin around with me.

"It's perfect." Lucy said, admiring my dress. Susan nodded in agreement.

I smiled. In the weeks; months that it had been since I first left my home and my uncle, I had learned to live in the moment; to appreciate the small things and to not spend my life fearing what was to come. This was one of these moments that I would look back on as a bright spot in my life, if we survived, that is.

"Good luck." Susan told me.

"You too." I said. I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

Susan smiled sheepishly. "I don't know what to say now."

I laughed humorlessly. "Neither do I." I gave her a hug. She paused for a second, caught off guard, but returned the hug. "I'm gonna miss you."

"So will I." I extracted myself from her embrace and hugged Lucy as well.

"Good luck." I told Lucy. "Things won't be the same without you here."

"We'll only be gone a day or two." Lucy said.

"I know." I sighed. "Don't worry; I'll make sure your brothers don't get themselves killed."

"Thanks." Lucy said. "I know you'll keep them safe." After that, there was nothing left to say.

"I have to go." I said, partly because it was getting awkward, but mostly because it was true. I had spent longer than I had anticipated talking with Susan and Lucy. I had been with them nearly every day and even one day without them would be strange. As I walked out, I paused and turned back. "Goodbye." With that, I turned my back on the two of them, heading to the unknown.

* * *

"I really hope this works." Edmund said to me outside, as we were making final preparations to meet with Miraz. "If this fails, then Susan and Lucy are doomed."

"Have a little bit of optimism, this will work." But despite my cheerful attitude, I knew we had a slim chance of this succeeding. Oh Aslan, please let this work.

"Ready?" Edmund asked.

I took a deep, hopefully calming, breath. "As ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

With green olive branches in hand, a symbol of peace, Edmund, Glenstorm the Centaur, and I made our way straight to the heart of the enemy camp.

When we arrived at the main tent, Edmund and I stepped inside while Glenstorm waiting outside. We didn't want our entire party in one place, just in case.

Edmund read the challenge from Peter to Miraz and the assembled high-ranked members. "I, Peter, by the gift of Aslan, by election and by conquest, High King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel, and Emperor of the Lone Islands, in order to prevent the abominable effusion of blood, do hereby challenge the usurper Miraz to single combat upon the field of battle.

"The fight shall be to the death. The reward shall be total surrender." He rolled up the scroll he was reading from.

"Tell me, Prince Edmund-" Miraz started, completely ignoring my presence.

"King." Edmund corrected.

"Pardon?" Miraz asked.

"It's _King_ Edmund actually. Just king though. Peter's the High King." Edmund spread his hands, "I know, it's confusing." I let out a soft snort.

Miraz raised an eyebrow, but let it go. "Why would we risk such a proposal when our army could wipe out yours in one night?"

"Haven't you already underestimated our numbers?" I asked. It had pre-determined that this would be my part. "Only a week ago, Narnians were extinct, right?" I allowed a hint of my smug smile show.

"And so you will be again." Miraz said.

"Then you have little to fear." I said, with confidence I did not feel. He would give his decision very soon.

Miraz laughed. "This is not a question of bravery."

I was hoping that he would say something like that. I would be able to bait him now. "So you're _bravely_ refusing to fight a swordsman half your age?" I snickered. "Maybe a third your age."

"I didn't say I refused." Miraz said sharply.

"You shall have our support, Your Majesty. No matter you decision." A Telmarine lord said. Nicolás, if I remembered correctly.

"Sire," Lord Sopespian said, "Our military advantage alone allows us the perfect excuse to avoid-"

Miraz stood up and drew his sword. "I'm not avoiding anything!" He exclaimed, cutting off the lord.

"I am merely pointing out that my lord is well within his rights to refuse." Sopespian said calmly. I had like Lord Sopespian more than most of the other lords; he was often times the voice of reason, whether or not his reason was listened to.

"His majesty would never refuse." General Glozelle said, "He relishes the chance to show his people the bravery of their new king."

Miraz pointed his sword towards Edmund. "You had better hope your brother's sword proves sharper."

* * *

 **After this chapter, I'll post one more next week, then I'm going on vacation for 3 weeks! I won't have my computer with me, so I won't be able to type anything. I'll try typing it up on my phone, but no promises and if I do it will probably be pretty short.**


	13. A Surprising Amount of Horses

As Courtney, Edmund, and Glenstrom proposed the dual to Miraz, back at Aslan's How, Susan and Lucy were departing. Susan and Lucy mounted Caspian's horse.

"Destier has always served me well." Caspian said," You are in good hands."

Lucy snorted, "Or hooves." Caspian smiled at the young girl. Then he looks up at Susan.

"Good luck." He told her.

"Thanks." Susan replied simply.

Caspian pulled out the horn, "Maybe it is time you had this back."

Susan shrugged. "Why don't you hold onto it? You might need to call me again." With that, the two girl set off. Caspian watched them until they disappeared from view.

"'You might need to call me again'?" Lucy asked mimicked.

"Oh, shut up." Susan said.

* * *

Peter and Edmund walked out of Aslan How in full battle armor. The assembled Narnians cheered as their old kings approached the opposing Telmarine army in its full glory. I stood in the shadows of the two brothers. Not for the first time, I felt out of place. I wasn't a Narnian, and had rejected my Telmarine roots. To the Narnians, I would always be the princess of those who had persecuted them and driven them out of their homes. To the Telmarines, I would be the rebel princess who had left them to help the enemy.

* * *

On the opposite side of the field in front of Aslan's How, Lord, or officially, _King_ Miraz was talking to General Glozelle. "If it should appear to be going poorly…" He trailed off and pointedly looked at the crossbow in Glozelle's hands.

Glozelle followed his gaze. "Understood, my lord."

* * *

Peter drew his sword and stepped forward to meet Miraz. Edmund stepped back, and I went to his side. "What do you think his chances are?" I whispered in his ear. "Honest answer."

Edmund considered the question for a few moments. "I don't know." He admitted at length. "Peter is younger and faster, but Miraz is more experienced. Plus, Peter didn't practice at all for a year." He met my eyes. "In all honesty, I'm scared."

I wrapped one arm around him. "Don't worry." I said reassuringly. "Peter's got this. Even if it goes the wrong way, Aslan won't let him die." _I hope,_ I added in my head.

My words seemed to cheer Edmund up a little. "Thanks Courtney." He said, resting his head on mine. I was considerably shorter than him.

* * *

"There is still time to surrender." Miraz said, his voice booming across the courtyard for all to hear.

"Well, feel free." Peter returned. Both adversaries circled each other warily.

"How many more must die for the throne?" Miraz asked mockingly.

"Just one." Peter answered, his eyes hard. He charged. Miraz sidestepped easily. Both sides of the battlefield cheered.

Miraz counterattacked, which Peter blocked. The sound of steel on steel rang out loudly. "Is that all you've got, boy?" Miraz taunted.

Peter didn't rise to the bait, causing me to cheer louder than I planned. Edmund shot me a look. "Oops." I said unapologetically. "I got caught up." The space between my eyebrows creased as I realized something. "Where's Caspian?"

* * *

Deep in the forest, Lucy and Susan rode away from the camp, towards Aslan. They were being pursued by Telmarine soldiers, also on horseback. A series of arrows whizzed past them, narrowly missing Lucy's ear. "They've seen us!" Lucy exclaimed.

Susan stopped the horse and dismounted. "What are you doing?" Lucy asked.

"Sorry, Lu." Susan said, "It looks like you'll be going by yourself after all." She strung her bow. Lucy paused, but urged the horse on without her sister.

Susan fitted an arrow to her bow, took careful aim, and released. Her shot landed true, knocking down a Telmarine. She loosed a few more arrows, taking out more of her hunters, but one came up behind her, kicking her down. He raised his sword, preparing to kill her. Before his stroke could land, Caspian came up out of nowhere and killed the man. He held offered his hand to Susan, and she took it.

"Are you sure you won't be needing that horn?" He asked. They both mounted the horse that Caspian had ridden. They rode off together.

* * *

Back on the battlefield, the battle raged on. Peter hit Miraz in the back. Miraz returned by knocking off Peter's helmet. Before he could do any real damage, Peter was out of reach for the moment. There were muted cheers from the Telmarines' side. Peter swung low and connected with Miraz's leg. Miraz tried to do the same to Peter, but the strike didn't break through his armor, instead causing Peter to stumble slightly.

Miraz tripped Peter, and he fell to the ground. Miraz stepped on Peter's shield, causing it to dig into Peter's neck. He yelled.

Edmund clutched my hand tightly, wincing at his brother's pain. If we survived, I would have bruises, but I didn't say anything. I'd have done the same if our positions were switched. I squeezed his hand once in an attempted to tell him that I was there for him, trying to share his pain.

Miraz slashed at Peter, but he blocked and rolled out of the way. He stuck out his foot and tripped Miraz. They both rose quickly, breathing heavily. Peter looked over Miraz's shoulder toward us, but his gaze landed somewhere behind us.

Edmund and I turned in unison. Susan and Caspian had ridden up. In the background, I could hear Peter and Miraz exchange words, but I didn't hear the individual words. I assumed they called a break, because Peter walked over to us, limping slightly.

"Lucy…" Peter started, fearing the worst.

"She got through," Susan said. The three of us sighed in relief. Susan glanced at Caspian. "With a little help."

Peter nodded to Caspian. "Thanks."

Caspian shrugged like it was no big deal. "Well, you're busy." He gestured around us.

I hugged my brother. "I was worried. You left without saying anything."

He returned my embrace. "It was urgent."

I scoffed. "Of course it was." I said. "You had to help your girlfriend." I whispered in his ear, smirking when he turned red. I let go of him and stepped back.

"What was that about?" Edmund asked softly in my ear.

"It's not important." I said back quietly.

"Better get up there." Peter said to Susan, pointing at the top of the How, interrupting our meaningless conversation. "I don't expect the Telmarines to keep their word."

Susan hugged Peter. He winced. "Sorry."

"It's alright." Peter dismissed her apology.

"Take care." Susan said.

"You too." Peter responded.

"Keep smiling." Edmund muttered in Peter's ear.

Peter forced a smile and raised his sword. The Narnian army erupted in cheers. Peter held his arm and groaned. Edmund looked at it.

"I think it's dislocated." Peter said. "What do you think happens back home if you die here?" He asked. "You know, you've always been there. I never really – OW!" He exclaimed as Edmund snapped his shoulder back into place.

"Save it for later." Edmund said.

Peter rejected the helmet that was offered to him. I watched as Miraz did the same. They both approached the fighting area. "Good luck." I called to Peter. "He'll be fine." I said encouragingly to Edmund, who had once again moved to stand next to me.

"He had better be."

* * *

 **Sorry for all the jumping around in this chapter, it matched my thoughts.**

 **The next time I'll post is hopefully July 31** **st** **. I come back on the 26** **th** **ish and the 31** **st** **is the next Tuesday. However, I'll be jet-lagged, so it'll probably be shorter than normal. Hope you guys are having a good summer!**


	14. Duel's End

**Is it sad that I want to high-five myself for getting this short chapter out? Probably.**

* * *

Peter and Miraz resumed their duel. The sun was at its peak, glinting blindingly off the two men's armor and weapons. I had to shield my eyes, missing most of the fight.

"I can't see!" Edmund muttered angrily from my right side. He was also attempting to shield his eyes.

Caspian, on my left side, squeezed my hand.

The only sound in the courtyard was metal on metal, a horrible screeching that gave me chills.

The sun finally dipped down behind a few trees, allowing us to get a clear view of the battlefield, just in time to see Peter get knocked to the ground.

He recovered quickly, blocking Miraz's sword before it could sever him.

The Narnian side, now able to see, cheered loudly.

Peter tried to stab Miraz, but he failed. Miraz knocked the sword out of his hands, then tried to slam his shield into the younger man, but Peter caught the edge. Edmund exhaled loudly next to me.

As before, I slipped my other hand into his in an attempt to console him. Caspian notes our clasped hands with a raised eyebrow.

Miraz elbowed Peter in the face and pushed into a pillar. He swung his sword at Peter's chest. Peter dropped to the ground before the stroke fell and kicked Miraz in the knee.

Miraz yelled, our side cheered again, and Miraz's sword was knocked from his grasp and skidded across the cobblestones. Miraz himself fell to his knees.

"Respite!" Miraz cried, "Respite!"

"Now's not the time for chivalry, Peter!" Edmund shouted.

Peter hesitated, then lowered his sword arm. He turned and started walking back to our side.

I knew what would happen before it did, "Watch out!" I warned, moments before my uncle reclaimed his sword and ran towards Peter, meaning to skewer him.

Peter instinctively dodged to the side, just in time. He wrenched the sword from the older man's grasp and stabbed him in the arm.

Miraz once again fell to his knees. Peter, holding Miraz's sword, hesitated again.

"What's the matter, boy?" Miraz asked mockingly, "Too cowardly to take a life?"

"It's not mine to take." Peter answered, lowering his sword. He turned to my brother. I gave Caspian's hand a quick squeeze and let go. This was his choice: I wouldn't tell him what to do I only hoped that he would make the right decision. He stepped forward and took the sword from Peter.

"Perhaps I was wrong." Miraz said, "It seems you have the makings of a good Telmarine king after all." He bowed his head, accepting his fate.

Caspian raised his sword and screamed loudly, slamming he point into he ground. "Not one like you." Caspian said. "Never like you." He turned to me and I nodded approvingly; if he killed Miraz, even after all he had done, Caspian would have lost himself.

"Keep you life," Caspian said, "But I'm giving the Narnians back their kingdom."

With that, he walked away. The Narnians, and even some of the Telmarines, cheered louder than I had ever heard.

* * *

Lord Sopespian went to help his fallen lord. "My king," he started.

"I will deal with you when this is over." Miraz said angrily.

"It is over." Sopespian pulled one of Susan's arrows and stabbed it into Miraz's back. "Treachery!" He claimed. "They shot him!"

* * *

I could clearly see that Sopespian had done it, not Susan. There had been no twang of a bowstring and no whistling as it flew through the air.

"They murdered our king!" Sopespian continued. "To arms!"

"Oh no." I said. With the Telmarines being riled up, there would be no way to convince them that it wasn't us. Our only option was to engage them in battle.

General Glozelle further encouraged his army, "To arms! To arms!" He shouted, riding up and down the rows of soldiers.

"Charge!" Lines of Telmarine soldiers charged.

Caspian and Peter shared a look. Peter nodded and rode his horse into the How where hundreds of Narnians were waiting.

"Ready?" I asked Caspian.

He took a deep breath. "Narnians!" He yelled. "Charge!"

* * *

"One, two three…" Peter counted from the maze of Aslan's How.

* * *

"Four, five, six…" Caspian continued.

"Archers to the ready!" Susan ordered. A dozen bows had arrows fitted to them.

* * *

"Seven, eight, nine…" Peter said, "Get ready!"

"Take aim!" Susan shouted. The bows were drawn back and carefully aimed where they would do the most damage.

I drew my sword. I didn't want to fight and kill my former countrymen, but in battle, we all do things we don't want to do.

"Now!" Caspian yelled.

A few things happened at that time. The first was that under the approaching Telmarine army; Peter and the other Narnians started smashing the pillars that were holding up the roof of the fort, and the ground.

The second was that the archers' arrows flew, many of them hitting their targets. Although it wasn't enough to make an impact yet, the toll would pile up.

The final thing that happened was that the two armies met in battle. The Narnians were greatly outnumbered.

 _Oh, Aslan,_ I thought, _we need you_ now.

* * *

 **Sorry for any grammatical errors, I typed this up on my phone in an hour or two on a plane. I'm sad with the length of the chapter, but I'm about to go to sleep and I wanted to get this out. See y'all next week! (Hopefully!)**


	15. Author's Note

There won't be another new chapter until the end of July. I also replaced chapter 5 with the correct chapter, so if you read it and it didn't make sense, that's why. Sorry about that!


	16. An Acute Sense of Loyalty

**Here we are! This whole chapter is almost completely canon. Sorry, my brain is still broken from not writing for weeks. But now we should be back on normal updating schedule, although I start school next week.**

* * *

Lucy, now alone, rode on, pursued by Telmarine soldiers. She risked a quick look back, to find the Telmarine gaining on her. She pushed her horse faster. A shape jumped up in front of her. The horse reared, throwing Lucy to the ground. She looked up to see Aslan himself.

The lion jumped over Lucy's fallen figure to knock her pursuer off his horse. "Aslan!" She exclaimed, running to hug her old friend. "I knew it was you." She said. "The whole time; I knew it. But the others didn't believe me?"

"Why would that stop you from coming to me?" Aslan asked gently. He put a gigantic paw around the young girl.

"I'm sorry." Lucy apologized, "I was too scared to come alone. Why haven't you shown yourself? I thought you'd come roaring in to save us like last time."

"Things never happen the same way twice." Aslan answered.

"If I had come earlier…" Lucy started, "Everyone who died… could I have stopped that?" At that point in time, she felt very guilty indeed.

"We can never know what would have happened, Lucy." Aslan said as way of explanation. "But what will happen is another matter entirely."

"You'll help?" Lucy asked hopefully.

"Of course, as will you."

"Oh, well I wish I was braver." Lucy said regretfully.

"If you were any braver, you'd be a lioness." Aslan said, placating her. "Now, I think your friends have slept long enough, don't you?"

The great lion threw his head back and roared loudly.

* * *

The battle was not going well. Without Aslan, I knew we were doomed. We were supposed to have faith, but every time I saw one of the Narnians fall, it became increasingly more difficult.

Edmund and I fought side-by-side, protecting each other's backs as best we could. "Duck!" He yelled. I dropped low to the ground instinctively, as an axe strike whistled over my head, one which would have cut my head off had Edmund not warned me.

I stabbed the man in the shin. "Thanks!" I yelled to Edmund over my shoulder before killing the Telmarine.

We had no time for further talking, as we had to focus our attention on not dying. I was knocked down a few minutes later. A Telmarine raised his sword above my head, about to kill me. "Courtney!" Edmund cried, but he had his own battles to fight. I closed my eyes, resigned to my fate. The sword began its deadly path

* * *

I opened my eyes. What? I looked around. Dozens of trees, _trees,_ were fighting on our side, picking up Telmarines with their roots and throwing them. Edmund, free for the moment, offered me his hand. I took it and got to my feet.

With the trees, the tides were gradually turning in our favor. However, the Telmarines had catapults. A boulder slammed into a tree, knocking it down. Another tree stuck its roots underground, which spread rapidly to the catapult and effectively destroyed it.

"For Aslan!" Peter shouted, re-inspiring the previously discouraged Narnias.

The Telmarines retreated. They turned and ran to the bridge crossing Beruna. They got about halfway across before coming to a screeching halt. Lucy stood at the other end of the bridge, dagger drawn. She appeared to be alone, but I knew that Lucy wouldn't have abandoned her search. I smiled broadly.

As I, but no one else, expected, Aslan appeared at Lucy's side. My smile widened and I heard the murmurs of the Narnians behind me, followed by deafening cheering.

Lord Sopespian, who was temporarily in charge of Telmarine army, stared at Aslan, then glanced back at us, before shouting an order, "Charge!"

I drew in a sharp breath. This would not end well. The army charged. Aslan roared, halting the army in its tracks. The water below the bridge churned, bubbling loudly. The water piled up to form a face; a river god, one from myths that had long circulated around the river.

The river god lifted up the bridge, tipping many Telmarines off the bridge into the water. Lord Sopespian stood alone, bravely, or perhaps stupidly, waving his sword threateningly at the river god, as if he could do something. The river god collapsed on him as the lord swung his sword around wildly.

The fallen Telmarines climbed out of the water and laid down their swords on the riverbank, but me, Caspian, and the Pevensie siblings paid them no attention. Peter, Susan, Edmund, Caspian, and I kneeled before the lion.

"Rise, kings and queens of Narnia." Aslan said. Peter, Susan, and Edmund rose, but Caspian and I did not. "All of you." Aslan said.

"I do not think I am ready." Caspian said.

"For that reason, I know you are." Caspian rose, somewhat uncertainly. "You too, Courtney."

Was I ready? Of course not. But I was as close to being ready as I would ever be. I rose, smiling to myself. It felt like the end of an age, complete with music. I frowned, real life didn't come with a soundtrack.

Several mice, playing the music I was hearing, somberly walked up, carrying a stretcher holding our dear friend Reepicheep. Lucy stepped forward and gave the mouse a drop from her healing cordial. He drew in a breath and sat up.

"Oh, thank you, Your Majesty," He thanked Lucy. He then saw the lion. "Oh, hail Aslan! It is a great honor to be—" Reeicheep attempted a bow but stumbled forward. He took a peak behind himself and realized that his tail is missing. "I am completely out of countenance. I must crave your indulgence for appearing in this unseemly fashion. Perhaps a drop more?" He asked Lucy, looking up at her cordial.

"I don't think it does that." Lucy said sadly.

"You could have a go." Reepicheep said. I chuckled. I had an idea of how much a mouse's tail meant to him, and I was glad that he could still be cheerful.

"It becomes you well, Small One." Aslan said.

"All the same, great king," Reepicheep started, "I regret that I must withdraw. For a tail is the honor and glory of a mouse."

"Perhaps you think too much of your honor, friend." Aslan answered.

"Well, it's not just the honor." Reepicheep defended, "It's also great for balance… and climbing… and grabbing things."

Aslan smiled, amused by the small warrior. The other mice drew their swords and held them to their tails.

"May it please your high Majesty," One of the mice said, "We will not bear the shame of wearing an honor denied to our chief." I was impressed by their loyalty. How many humans would be willing to cut off their arm because their leader lost theirs?

"Not for your honor, but for the love of your people." Aslan said. Reepicheep's tail grew back.

"Oh, look! Thank you, thank you, my liege!" Reepicheep thanked the lion. "I will treasure it always!" I knew he would. "From this day forward, it will serve as a great reminder of my huge humility." I shared an amused glance with Edmund and we both had to turn away from each other to avoid laughing.

Aslan laughed. "Now, where is this dear little friend you've told me so much about?"

Trumpkin, hearing his nickname, looked over nervously. He cautiously walked over and bowed before the lion. Aslan roared in the dwarf's face and Trumpkin shuddered.

"Do you see him now?" Lucy asked, smiling.

* * *

 **My little Courtney is growing up. *Sniff* This fanfiction is almost finished, maybe three-ish more chapters? I'll have a sequel on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader at some point.**


	17. Planning a Ball Is a Lot of Work

In the weeks after the war, much had to be rebuilt. Caspian had taken command of the castle and oversaw the repairs. The Telmarines who had survived pledged their allegiance to Caspian. From what I had seen, they were loyal only to the throne, which meant if Caspian were to be assassinated and replace, they would just as soon follow whoever stole the throne.

There were few repairs to make, mostly just the general wear and tear of the castle. In the thirteen years that Miraz had been king, he spent little time worrying about the castle. One of the towers had been collapsing inwards.

Some of the Narnians had volunteered to help, so they worked side-by-side along their previous persecutors. With all the willing workers, the tower was quickly reconstructed.

It was incredible to watch the Narnias and Telmarines work together in harmony. A few times, when I had nothing to do, I just sat down on the grass and watched them work, without malice and willfully. At one point, Edmund sat down next to me.

"Can I sit here?" He asked belatedly.

"I think you just did." I said, smiling. I hadn't really seen him since the end of the war. He had been busy helping Caspian. Between him and Peter, one of them was always at Caspian's side in case one of Miraz's inner circle tried anything.

There had been only one attempt on Caspian's life. One of Glozelle's foolish captains thought that it would be a good idea to jump out in front Caspian while he was walking, seemingly by himself. The man was dead before he could draw his sword.

"How have you been?" Edmund asked. "I haven't seen you much in the last few days."

I shrugged. "I've been okay. I know it sounds lame, but I've been bored lately. After the general cleaning up, there hasn't really been much for me to do."

"I know the feeling." Edmund said. "After everything we did to prepare for the battle, the aftermath isn't very exciting." He gave a single laugh. "Of course I'm glad that it's over, but now I feel useless."

"I wonder if anyone else feels the same way." I was silent for a moment, thinking about something to do. I jumped up, startling Edmund, "Sorry," I apologized, "But I've got an idea! Wait one second!" I ran off, leaving a confused Edmund behind.

* * *

"We should have a ball." I said to Caspian, who was slightly preoccupied.

"Yes, sounds gre- what?" My words registered with my brother, now giving me his full attention. "A ball?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "Since the war, we haven't done anything fun. I think the people have earned a night to have a break from repairing the castle."

"It's going to be a lot of work." I was glad that Caspian understood that this was something I was going to do, and that I wasn't going to pass off the work to someone else.

"I know," I said. "And I've got this. See you later!" I kissed him on the cheek and ran off, yet again leaving a confused teenager behind.

* * *

The next few days were a whirlwind of preparations. Apparently, planning a ball for a thousand people was a lot of work.

I had enlisted the help of Susan and Lucy. They were both a huge help. Susan had an eye for detail, and Lucy's special talent was her decorating abilities. She was actually amazing at choosing decorations that matched perfectly.

Four long days later, with the help of the staff and various soldiers, the Great Hall looked fantastic. I absolutely adored the silver garlands with blue accents. I couldn't help a bit of blue to everything; it made me so happy.

My girly side, which had been hidden for so many years, was finally coming out. I even had a dress specially made for the role of hostess. It was silver (instead of blue for once), floor-length, and gorgeous. I may have squealed when I saw it. I even picked out earrings **(both are on the Pinterest board for Courtney, link to the board on my profile).**

I took a look at the clock in my room, after spinning in front of the mirror, and jumped up. I was going to be late!

* * *

Surprisingly, I made it just on time. It would not have made a very good impression if the hostess arrived late. Unfortunately, many of the guests were already there. I saw one in particular that would definitely tease me for almost being late.

Right on cue, Edmund walked up to me. "You're almost late."

"But I'm not." I replied. "I'd better go."

"That would probably be best." Edmund agreed. "Good luck!" He called to me as I made my way to the front of the hall, where a temporary stage had been erected.

I tapped on a glass with a silver fork. "May I please have everyone's attention?" The conversations ceased as the assembled crowd turned their focus to me.

"Don't worry, I'll keep this short." I said, earing some laughter. "Between having a war to win and dealing with the aftermath, there has not been much spare time; no time to do something enjoyable." I continued. "Anyway, like I said, I'll keep this short, so go enjoy yourselves!" I stepped down from the stage as the guests applauded, before mingling and getting food and drinks.

Edmund was waiting for me at the foot of the stage and offered me a glass of apple cider. "Nice speech." He said as I took a sip of my drink.

"Thanks." I said. "Was it just because it was short and you were hungry?"

"Maybe." He admitted.

I sighed. "Lead the way." He flashed me a huge smile. I sighed again, but smiled back. "But at some point I have to mingle and fulfil my duties as hostess." We began to walk towards the food table.

"Look at that," Edmund said like he was talking to himself, though I knew I was meant to hear it. "One short speech and she thinks she's a poet."

"You're not as funny as you think, you know."

"You just don't appreciate humor." Edmund shook his head in mock disappointment. "I blame the royal genes."

By this point, we had reached the food. I piled my plate high, as I had skipped lunch to make the final preparations for the event. A few other guests near the table gave me a few sideways glances, but I ignored them.

"I don't think that amount of food is appropriate for a regal princess." Edmund commented, though his plate had more food than mine.

"And I don't think that much food is appropriate for a King of Narnia." I returned.

"Touché."

Edmund and I ate our dinner quickly, and in silence. After I had finished my last bite, I said, "Sorry, but I really do have to talk to people."

He nodded. "Save me a dance?" A few people were ballroom dancing in the center of the hall to the music that was playing softly in the background.

"Of course."

Over the next two or so hours, I saw little of Edmund. Most of my time was spent conversing with the various soldiers, nobles, and occasional servants who had attended the ball. Almost all of my conversations took place whilst dancing.

The soldier I was dancing with at the time was rather arrogant. He kept talking about how he single-handedly won the war and how without him, we would have lost. I was doing my best to pretend to be interested but it was getting increasingly difficult.

* * *

Edmund had been waiting for the dance that Courtney had promised him. He looked over at the girl who was dancing with a younger soldier. He had known her long enough to recognize her 'immensely irritated' face. He sighed.

Caspian appeared at his side. "You know," He said. "There is such a thing as cutting in." Caspian had known his sister for much longer than Edmund, and he knew the young man next to him well enough to know that he was itching to ask Caspian's sister to dance.

* * *

"May I cut it?" A voice asked. I exhaled, extremely thankful to my savior. My partner's ego was getting on my nerves.

"Yes, you may." I gratefully took the hand that Edmund, for of course it was him, offered. I sent my past partner my best attempt at an apologetic glance.

"Thank you so much." I muttered to Edmund as he led me into a graceful dance.

"No problem. If I had left you with him, you may have punched him, and that would not have sent a very good impression." Edmund teased me.

"My civility skills were definitely pushed to the limit." I agreed. "It would be nice to be able to dance with someone I was not trying to impress."

"Thanks." He said dryly.

"Remember the last time we danced?" I asked wistfully.

Edmund was silent for a moment, thinking. "Was it Miraz's "coronation"?"

"Yes." I said, "Back in the good old days."

"You mean when I was trying to keep Miraz from finding out my true identity?" Edmund asked.

"Exactly." I replied. "Those were good times."

"They actually were." Edmund admitted.

The rest of the night I spent laughing and dancing with the young man next to me who had, in only a few weeks, become my best friend.

* * *

 **I'm sorry! I'm saying that wayyy too often now. But I started school and I'm so lost all the time. This chapter** _ **may**_ **have just been an excuse for me to pick out an outfit for Courtney. Is it strange to fangirl at my own fanfiction? Because I totally just squealed while I was writing the last part.**

 **The last chapter (!) of this will hopefully be posted on Tuesday, but honestly it probably won't be up by then. But I promise I'll post it by next weekend!**

 **And thank you all so much for your support on this story! You guys are the best!**


	18. I Hate Goodbyes

The ball was a smashing success. Edmund and I saw more of each other over the next few weeks. We had many conversations that ended in laughter, but a few serious ones, such as this one.

"Do you miss England?" I asked. Edmund had told me a little about where he was from.

"Sometimes." He admitted. "I like it here too." He sighed. "But I know I'll have to go back at some point, like before."

"Do you know when you'll have to leave?" It had been over a millennium between when he had left and when he'd come back, but in his world, it had only been a year. When he left, there would a very good chance that I would never see him again.

"No. Last time it was around 15 years. But things never happen the same time twice, right?" He was just as sad as I was.

"No one knows how long any of us have left." I said, feeling a hundred years older than I actually was. "We have to make the most of it."

"Yeah." We sat and talked for a while, recounting our favorite memories from the past few months.

* * *

 **I recommend listening to either "The Call" by Regina Spektor, like in the movie, or "The Fault in Our Stars" by Troye Sivan.**

* * *

A few days later, Aslan contacted us, and asked us to assemble everyone in the castle in the courtyard. Caspian and I had finished informing everyone about meeting in the courtyard, and we were making our way there ourselves.

Aslan was talking with Peter and Susan; the three of them looked solemn. The trio glanced at us. "We are ready." Caspian said. "Everyone has been gathered."

Narnians and Telmarines were waiting for all of us. Aslan, the Pevensie children, Caspian, and I stood at the front of the group.

Although the two peoples had been living together in harmony, no official statement had been released regarding the issue, until now.

"Narnia belongs to the Narnians just as it does to man." Caspian said loudly, "Any Telmarnies who want to stay and live in peace are welcome to. And for any of you who wish, Aslan will return you to the home of our forefathers."

"It has been generations since we left Telmar." One of the Telmarine lords said. I had never learned this particular lord's name; he was normally quiet enough to escape notice.

"We are not referring to Telmar." Aslan said. "Your ancestors were sea-faring brigands, pirates run aground on an island. There they found a cave, a rare chasm that brought them here from their world, the same world as our kings and queens." He nodded at the Pevensies. The four of them stood together.

"It is to that island I can return you." Aslan continued. "It is a good place for any who wish to make a new start."

"I'll go." The former General Glozelle said. He had been met with some hostility, as he had been one of Miraz's biggest supporters. "I will accept the offer."

"As will we." Aunt Prunaprismia said. I honestly liked my aunt more than most of my people, but I knew that she would accept the offer. As Miraz's wife, along with the mother of his heir, she had been met with more aggression than any of the others in the assembled crowd.

The two adults, along with my baby cousin in his mother's arms, stood before Aslan.

"Because you have spoken first," Aslan said, "Your future in that world will be good." He breathed on a tree behind Caspian. The tree twisted open, forming a round opening. The three of them walked through the door in the air… and vanished from sight. The crowd gasped.

"How do we know he is not leading us to our death?" An angry voice yelled from the multitude.

"Sire," The noble Reepicheep said, "If my example can be of any service, I will take eleven mice though with no delay."

Peter and Susan exchanged a glance, then Peter stepped forward. "We'll go."

"We will?" Edmund asked. He locked eyes with me, but I knew nothing.

"Come on." Peter said. "Our time is up." He offered his sword, hilt first, to Caspian. "After all, we're not really needed anymore." Caspian took the sword.

"I'll keep it safe until your return." Caspian said.

"That's just it." Susan said. "We're not coming back."

"We're not?" Lucy, asked, her voice thick with emotion.

"You two are." Peter said, gesturing to her and Edmund. "At least, I think he means you two."

"But why?" Lucy asked. She whispered to Aslan, although I heard every word, "Did they do something wrong?"

"Quite the opposite, dear one." Aslan said, "But all things have their time. Your brother and sister have learned what they can from this world. Now it's time for them to live in their own."

"It's alright, Lu." Peter said, "It's not how I thought it would be, but it's alright. One day you'll see too. Come on."

Peter shook Glenstorm the centaur's hand. Edmund, Lucy, Trumpkin, and Cornelius bowed to each other. Lucy curtsied to Trumpkin and he nodded. Then they embraced. Edmund walked up to me.

"This came faster than I was expecting." Edmund said.

"I know." I said. "I wish we had more time together."

"I do too." We were both fighting tears. "It never would have worked anyway." Edmund said.

I frowned; did he not feel the same way I did? I was positive he did. "Why not?"

"I'm over a thousand years older than you." Edmund said with a small smile, one which I tried to return. I started to walk away, knowing that I would not be able to keep my tears back for very long.

"Oh screw it." I muttered to myself. I turned on my heel and ran to Edmund, who caught me with open arms. I rose to my toes and kissed him deeply, in front of everyone. He returned the kiss enthusiastically.

Our kiss ended, whether it was an eternity later or a moment, I could not be sure. "You'd better get going." I said. "Your siblings are waiting for you."

He gave me one last, quick hug. Then he joined his siblings and they walked through the tree portal.

I leaned on Caspian. He had been my anchor throughout everything. He wrapped an arm around me.

That may have been the last time I ever saw Edmund Penvensie. He had been my first kiss, my first love. I knew it was ridiculous, but my heart would belong with Edmund for a long time.

* * *

A few days later, one of the castle servants called my attention to a strange object he had found while cleaning. I looked at the object in his hands and laughed. It was Edmund's electric torch.

* * *

 **And we're done! I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel like that ending kiss was a little rushed, but I really wanted it to happen. Sorry for those of you who wanted some Susan and Caspian, but I have an idea with Susan and another one of my OCs. Tell me if you want that fanfiction!**

 **Part 2 based on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader should be out sometime next week!**


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